A1 · Beginner · Lesson 1

The Verb "To Say": Present Simple (All Forms)

say/says, don't say/doesn't say, and questions

Language Focus

We use say to talk about words people speak. Notice that "say" ends in vowel + y, so it just adds -s for he/she/it (says) – unlike verbs ending in consonant + y, such as "study" → "studies".

FormStructureExample
AffirmativeI/you/we/they: say
he/she/it: says
I say hello every morning. She says thank you politely.
Negativedon't say / doesn't sayI don't say much in meetings. He doesn't say sorry easily.
Yes/No QuestionDo...say...? / Does...say...?Do you say grace before meals? Does she say goodbye every time?
Short AnswerYes/No + subject + do/does(n't)Yes, I do. No, she doesn't.
Wh- QuestionWh-word + do/does + subject + say...?What do you say when you're nervous? Why does he say that?

Remember: don't confuse "say" and "tell"! We say words or "that..." (say hello, say that you're busy), but we tell a person something (tell me, tell her the truth). We don't say "say me" – the correct form is "tell me".

Listening: My Grandmother's Sayings

Context: describing a family member's habits of speech
My grandmother says a lot of old-fashioned expressions.
She always says 'please' and 'thank you' to everyone, even strangers.
She doesn't say bad words, not even when she's angry.
My brother and I don't say those old expressions ourselves, but we love hearing them.
Sometimes she says something so old that we don't understand it!
When she doesn't like something, she just says 'hmm' instead of complaining.

Now go to Exercise 1 and answer True or False.

1. True or False

Context: My Grandmother's Sayings (from the listening)

Listen again if you need to, then choose True or False.

2. Multiple Choice

Context: everyday phrases

Choose the correct past form of "be".

3. Matching

Context: question to answer

Match each question to the correct answer.

4. Gap Fill

Context: a cultural note about greetings

Complete the text with say, says, don't say, or doesn't say.

5. Do/Does Sort

Click each subject, then click the correct form below to sort it.

do (I / you / we / they / plural)

does (he / she / it / singular)

6. Word Order

Context: negatives and questions

Click the words in the correct order to build each sentence.

7. Right or Wrong?

Context: a communication survey

Is the sentence right or wrong? Click your answer.

Your Scores

0 / 43

Total points across all exercises

ExerciseScore
1. True or False0 / 5
2. Multiple Choice0 / 6
3. Matching0 / 5
4. Gap Fill0 / 6
5. Do/Does Sort0 / 11
6. Word Order0 / 5
7. Right or Wrong0 / 5