Verb Conjugation & Spelling
We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).
In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.
Subject | Verb | The Rest of the sentence |
I / you / we / they | speak / learn | English at home |
he / she / it | speaks / learns | English at home |
The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.
- go – goes
- catch – catches
- wash – washes
- kiss – kisses
- fix – fixes
- buzz – buzzes
2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
- marry – marries
- study – studies
- carry – carries
- worry – worries
NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.
- play – plays
- enjoy – enjoys
- say – says