Present Simple Negative: How to Say 'No' (Pre-A1 English Grammar) — Pre-A1 English grammar lesson by Langcom

Present Simple Negative: How to Say ‘No’ (Pre-A1 English Grammar)

Raúl Maguiña

Fondateur de Langcom | Examinateur pour les examens de Cambridge et du SIELE

juillet 22, 2026

PRÉ-A1✏️ Grammaire⏱️ 3 min read
To make a sentence negative in the Present Simple, we use don’t ou doesn’t before the main verb. This is how we say that something is not true, or that we do not do an action regularly. We use don’t for subjects like I, you, we, et they. For example, I don’t like coffee. We use doesn’t for subjects like he, she, et it. For instance, She doesn’t live here. Remember, the main verb always stays in its base form (without -s) after don’t ou doesn’t. This structure is essential for basic communication in English.

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.)

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How do we form the Present Simple Negative?

We use 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 et doesn’t. These are very common in spoken English.

When do we use ‘don’t’?

We use 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’?

We use 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 becomes don’t
  • does not becomes doesn’t

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

Present Simple Negative Form
Subject Negative Form Verb (Base Form)
I don’t like
You don’t like
He doesn’t like
She doesn’t like
It doesn’t like
We don’t like
They don’t like

Exemples

  • 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.

Entraînement

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Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones

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

  • Incorrect : I no like coffee.
  • Correct : I don’t like coffee.

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

  • Incorrect : She doesn’t likes pizza.
  • Correct : She doesn’t like pizza.

Always remember to use don’t ou doesn’t and the base form of the verb.

Questions fréquemment posées

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, et it.

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

Yes, you can say 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 et 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.

Leçons associées

À propos de l'auteur : Raúl Maguiña

Raúl Maguiña est le directeur de l'Asociación Educativa Langcom, un centre agréé de préparation à l'examen Cambridge English situé à ÉTATS-UNIS. Fort de plus d'une décennie d'expérience dans l'enseignement des langues et les certifications internationales, il a aidé des milliers d'étudiants, d'enseignants et d'établissements d'enseignement dans 25 pays à obtenir les certifications d'anglais Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL et Michigan.

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