Grammar

Subject pronouns replace the name of the person or thing doing the action: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. An English sentence almost always needs a subject before the verb.

• "I am a student."

  I = the speaker

• "She is my sister."

  she = one female person

• "They are from Brazil."

  they = more than one person

• "It is cold today."

  it = a thing or the weather

The verb "to be" (am, is, are) links a subject to a description, a job, or a place. It is the first verb every beginner needs. Use am with I, is with he/she/it, and are with you/we/they.

• "I am tired."

  am goes with I

• "He is at home."

  is goes with he / she / it

• "We are friends."

  are goes with we / you / they

• "Are you ready?"

  question — be comes before the subject

Use "a" or "an" before a singular countable noun the first time you mention it. Use "an" before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), and "a" before a consonant sound.

• "I have a car."

  a + consonant sound

• "She is an artist."

  an + vowel sound

• "I'll see you in an hour."

  an because "hour" begins with a vowel sound (the h is silent)

• "He's a university student."

  a because "university" begins with a "y" sound

Make most nouns plural by adding -s. Add -es after s, ss, sh, ch, and x. Nouns ending in consonant + y change to -ies. A few very common nouns are irregular.

• "one book → two books"

  add -s to most nouns

• "one box → two boxes"

  add -es after x, ch, sh, s

• "one baby → two babies"

  consonant + y → -ies

• "one child → two children"

  an irregular plural

Demonstratives point to things. Use "this/these" for things near you and "that/those" for things far from you. This/that are singular; these/those are plural.

• "This is my phone."

  singular, near

• "That is your bag."

  singular, far

• "These are my keys."

  plural, near

• "Those are her shoes."

  plural, far

Possessive adjectives show who owns something: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. They come before the noun and never change for singular or plural.

• "This is my book."

  it belongs to me

• "Her name is Anna."

  it belongs to her

• "Our house is small."

  it belongs to us

• "The dog wags its tail."

  it belongs to it (the dog)

Use the present simple for habits, routines, and facts. Add -s to the verb for he, she, and it. Make questions and negatives with do/does.

• "I work in an office."

  a habit or fact

• "She works in a hospital."

  add -s for he / she / it

• "We don't watch TV."

  negative with don't

• "Does he like coffee?"

  question with does

Use "there is" to say one thing exists and "there are" for more than one. This is how you describe what a place contains.

• "There is a book on the table."

  one thing — singular

• "There are three chairs in the room."

  more than one — plural

• "Is there a bank near here?"

  question

• "There isn't any milk."

  negative

Use "can" to talk about ability and to ask for permission. "Can" is followed by the base verb and is the same for every subject.

• "I can swim."

  ability

• "She can speak French."

  same form for she — no -s

• "Can I open the window?"

  asking permission

• "He can't drive."

  negative — can't = cannot

Prepositions of place say where something is: in, on, under, behind, next to, between. They are essential for describing rooms, streets, and pictures.

• "The cat is on the chair."

  on = on a surface

• "The keys are in the drawer."

  in = inside

• "The ball is under the table."

  under = below

• "The shop is next to the bank."

  next to = beside

Question words ask for specific information: what, where, who, when, why, how. They go at the start of the question, before the verb or auxiliary.

• "What is your name?"

  asking about a thing

• "Where do you live?"

  asking about a place

• "Who is that?"

  asking about a person

• "How old are you?"

  asking about age

"Have got" is a common, friendly way to talk about possession, family, and physical features. Use "have got" with I/you/we/they and "has got" with he/she/it.

• "I have got a brother."

  possession — often shortened to "I've got"

• "She has got blue eyes."

  has got for he / she / it

• "Have you got a pen?"

  question

• "They haven't got a car."

  negative

Use the imperative to give instructions, orders, and directions. Use the base verb with no subject, and add "don't" for the negative.

• "Open your books."

  an instruction

• "Please sit down."

  a polite request

• "Don't touch that."

  negative imperative

• "Turn left at the corner."

  giving directions

Adjectives describe nouns. In English they go before the noun, and they never change for plural. They can also come after the verb "be".

• "It's a big house."

  adjective before the noun

• "They are happy children."

  the adjective stays singular

• "She has a beautiful voice."

  describing a noun

• "The test was easy."

  adjective after the verb be