English Language Resources for Speakers of Spanish
Third person singular
When we use the present simple with a verb in the third person (he/she/it), we need to add the suffix -s to the verb. For example:
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She works in a supermarket near my office.
He sings beautiful songs.
It usually sits in my lap.
She lives with her parents in Madrid.
However, there are three special occasions where we need to do it differently:
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When the verb ends in -ch, -s, -sh, -x or -z, we need to add -es. For example:
He washes the dishes at night.
He misses me already.
She watches films in original version.
She fixes the pipes whenever they break.
¿Necesitas esta explicación en castellano?
Capitalisation (versión en castellano)
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When the verb ends in a consonant + y (such as try or cry), we need to change the y to i and add -es. For example:
He cries whenever he falls.
She tries too hard to like it.
Whenever I speak to him in English, he replies in Spanish.
She studies English every afternoon.
Careful! If the verb ends in a vowel + y then we only add an -s.
She plays the piano very well.
He says he’ll come in the afternoon.
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Some irregular verbs form the third person in a special way. These are the verb to be, to do, to have and to go. For example:
He is a lovely person.
She has a beautiful smile.
It does everything I ask it to.
She goes to Ireland every summer.