THE PRESENT INDEFINITE

The formation of the Present Indefinite.

1. The Present Indefinite is formed from the infinitive without the particle to.

In the third person singular the ending - s is added. After a sibilant represented in spelling by s, ss, ch, sh, tch, x, z and after the vowel o, -es is added: he writes, he reads, he speaks; he passes, he pushes, he watches, he teaches; he goes, he does /dz/.

2. The pronunciation of the ending -s (-es) depends on the sound preceding it.

It is pronounced as:

/iz/ after the sibilants /s/, /z/, / /, /t /, /d /: passes /'pa:siz/, pushes /pu: iz/, teaches /'ti:t iz/, judges / 'd d iz/;

/z/ after voiced non-sibilants and vowels: reads /ri:dz/, lives /li:vz/, sees /si:z/;

after voiceless non-sibilants: works /wə:ks/, wants /wonts/.

3. In the third person singular we find the following orthographical change:

A final y is changed into i if it is preceded by a consonant and then –es is added:

To study - he studies; to try - he tries.

After a vowel у is kept unchanged: to play —he plays; to stay — he stays.

4. The interrogative and the negative forms are formed by means of the Present Indefinite of the auxiliary verb to do and the infinitive of the notional verb without the particle to.

Affimative	Interrogative	Negative
I work	Do I work?	I do not work
You work	Do you work?	You do not work
He (she, it) works	Does he (she, it) work?	He (she, it) does not work
We work	Do we work?	We do not work
They work	Do they work?	They do not work

5. The contracted negative forms are:

I don't work

He doesn't work

They don't work

6. The negative-interrogative forms are:

Do you not work? Don't you work?

Does he not work? Doesn't he work?