Conjugating Verbs

1. What is verb conjugation?

‘Verb conjugation’ simply means a verb’s end must match the subject.

2. How to do verb conjugation in the present simple tense

When using the present simple tense, conjugating verbs means:

– ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’, or ‘they’ = no extra ending
– ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘it’ = +s

One exception is the verb ‘be’, where different subjects use different words.

Iyouwetheyhesheit
beI am happyyou are happywe are happythey are happyhe is happyshe is happyit is happy
likeI like fruityou like fruitwe like fruitthey like fruithe likes fruitshe likes fruitit likes fruit
goI go to classyou go to classwe go to classthey go to classhe goes to classshe goes to classit goes to class
buyI buy carsyou buy carswe buy carsthey buy carshe buys carsshe buys carsit buys cars
takeI take the busyou take the buswe take the busthey take the bushe takes the busshe takes the busit takes the bus
callI call my dadyou call my dadwe call my dadthey call my dadhe calls my dadshe calls my dadit calls my dad
writeI write booksyou write bookswe write booksthey write bookshe writes booksshe writes booksit writes books
watchI watch TVyou watch TVwe watch TVthey watch TVhe watches TVshe watches TVit watches TV
haveI have moneyyou have moneywe have moneythey have moneyhe has moneyshe has moneyit has money
doI do homeworkyou do homeworkwe do homeworkthey do homeworkhe does homeworkshe does homeworkit does homework

*Note: if a verb ends in o, x, ch, sh. or th, then ‘es’ is usually added

3. Examples of conjugated verbs in the present simple tense

I like chicken.She likes chicken.They like chicken.
I am beautiful.Carl is beautiful. (Carl = he)Sheryl and I are beautiful. (Sheryl and I = we)
You make a lot of money.The company makes a lot of money. (the company = it)They make a lot of money.
Peter has no friends. (Peter = he)We have no friends.Ian and Sophia have no friends. (Ian and Sophia = they)
I take the bus every day.She takes the bus every day.2 million people take the bus every day. (2 million people = they)

4. Test yourself

Click here to test your knowledge of this grammar point.