Simple Present: Negatives and Questions
Introduction
In the simple present tense, negative forms and question forms are made using the auxiliary verb “do”. This page explains the rules.
1. Forming a negative
Negatives in the simple present are formed by adding don't or doesn't before the simple form of the verb:
| Subject | Auxiliary | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | don't | I don't sing |
| You | don't | You don't sing |
| He | doesn't | He doesn't sing |
| She | doesn't | She doesn't sing |
| It | doesn't | It doesn't sing |
| We | don't | We don't sing |
| They | don't | They don't sing |
In other words, only third person singular subjects (he, she and it) have doesn't — the rest have don't.