What is the Present Simple Negative?

The Present Simple Negative tells us what we do not do or what is not true.

It is for daily routines, facts, or things you don’t like.

• I don’t eat meat. (This is a fact about me.)
• She doesn’t work on Sundays. (This is her routine.)

How do we form the Present Simple Negative?

Utilizamos do not ou does not with the base form of the verb.

• Subject + do not / does not + base verb.

The short forms are don’t e doesn’t. These are very common in spoken English.

When do we use ‘don’t’?

Utilizamos don’t when the subject is:

• I
• You
• We
• They

The verb after don’t is always the base form (e.g., like, play, go).

When do we use ‘doesn’t’?

Utilizamos doesn’t when the subject is:

• He
• She
• It

The verb after doesn’t is also always the base form. Remember, we do not add ‘-s’ to the verb here.

What are the short forms?

In English, we often use short forms to speak faster and sound more natural.

• do not torna-se don’t
• does not torna-se doesn’t

Both long and short forms are correct, but short forms are more common in everyday conversation.

Exemplos

• I don’t like tea.
• You don’t speak French.
• He doesn’t live in London.
• She doesn’t play tennis.
• It doesn’t rain much here.
• We don’t watch TV in the morning.
• They don’t work on Saturdays.

Prática

Erros comuns entre falantes de espanhol

A common mistake for Spanish speakers is to put no directly before the verb, like in Spanish.

• Incorreto: I no like coffee.
• Correto: I don’t like coffee.

Another mistake is to add ‘-s’ to the verb after doesn’t.

• Incorreto: She doesn’t likes pizza.
• Correto: She doesn’t like pizza.

Lembre-se sempre de usar don’t ou doesn’t and the base form of the verb.

Perguntas frequentes

What does ‘don’t’ mean?

Don’t is the short form of do not. It means ‘not do’ or ‘not have’ for actions and facts in the present.

What does ‘doesn’t’ mean?

Doesn’t is the short form of does not. It means ‘not do’ or ‘not have’ for actions and facts in the present, specifically for he, she, e it.

Can I say ‘do not’ instead of ‘don’t’?

Sim, dá para dizer do not. It means the same as don’t. Do not is more formal, while don’t is more common in everyday speaking and informal writing.

Why do we use ‘do’ or ‘does’ in negative sentences?

In English, do e does are ‘helper verbs’ for negative sentences and questions in the Present Simple. They help us make the sentence negative with not. We cannot just put not after the subject.

Aulas relacionadas

• Present simple
• Present simple
• Present simple
• Present simple