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Meet me at Union Square: present simple questions and negatives

This A1 ESL lesson plan covers present simple questions and negatives with we and they.

Grammar
Present simple negatives with don't and questions with do (We don't meet at night. Do they sell flowers?), short answers, near and opposite for landmarks, and Let's meet… for a meeting place.
Topic
Farmers markets and meeting places, at the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan, with words such as farmer, sell, vegetables and steps.
Activities
A market poster, a dialogue about where to meet and a city guide's talk, self-checking drills, a chat that plans Saturday at the market, open-box questions and an invitation to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, Union Square!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: at the marketVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the Greenmarket

    • Look at the photo: the GreenmarketPictureUnlock
    • Read the poster: the GreenmarketReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: meet me at the steps!

    • Listen to Emma and KofiListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to a city guide at Union SquareListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to the guide and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: we meet, they sell

    • Study the scheme: we meet, they sell, near, oppositeGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: questions and answersFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: yes, no and questionsFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: meet me there!

    • Choose the right replies: Saturday at the marketChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a message: meet me at…Writing, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record yourself: my meeting placeSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • square
  • market
  • farmer
  • apples
  • vegetables
  • flowers
  • steps

Grammar: present simple questions and negatives with we and they

A farmers market is all about what people do: farmers sell, friends meet, people eat lunch on the steps. That makes Union Square a good setting for the present simple with we and they, where the verb never changes. Learners build present simple questions with do and negatives with don't, then place the square's landmarks with near and opposite.

We meet, they sell: near and opposite

Say what people do in a place and where things are.

We meet, they sell: the verb with no -s

With we and they, the verb stays in its base form: We meet at the steps. They play chess in the park. The table shows every person, and the -s of she meets is marked for A1.2, not drilled here.

✓ We / They + verb (no -s!)

We / Theyverb

We meet at the steps.

They sell apples and bread.

They play chess in the park.

meet: I, you, he, she, it, we, they

WhoYes ✓No ✗ (don't = do not)
II meet my friends.I don't meet my friends.
youYou meet your friends.You don't meet your friends.
he, she, it → A1.2She meets her friends.She doesn't meet her friends.
weWe meet our friends.We don't meet our friends.
theyThey meet their friends.They don't meet their friends.

Negatives: don't + verb

Don't goes before the verb, and the verb doesn't change: We don't meet at night. They don't sell cell phones. Don't is short for do not, and typed answers can use either.

We / Theydon'tverb

We don't meet at night.

They don't sell cell phones.

Questions with do, and short answers

A yes/no question starts with Do: Do they sell flowers? The short answer repeats do, not the main verb: Yes, they do. No, they don't. With a question word, do comes second: Where do you meet?

QuestionAnswer
Do they sell flowers?Yes, they do. / No, they don't.
Do you meet at the steps?Yes, we do. / No, we don't.
Where do you meet?We meet at the statue.
What do they sell?They sell fruit and vegetables.

Near or opposite? Landmarks on the square

Near means not far; opposite means on the other side of the street: The big clock is opposite the steps. Neither one takes of: opposite the park, near the subway.

near = not far

  • The steps are near the subway.
  • My home is near the park.

opposite = on the other side of the street

  • The big clock is opposite the steps.
  • The bank is opposite the school.

Let's meet… Meet me at…

Two fixed phrases set up a meeting, and they mean the same: Let's meet at the steps! Meet me at the steps! The meeting place takes at: at the statue, at the café.

Let's meet! Meet me at…

Let's meet at the steps! = Meet me at the steps! For a meeting place, say at: at the steps, at the statue, at the café.

Common mistakes

  • They sells apples.

    They sell apples.

    we, they + verb: no -s

  • Are they sell flowers?

    Do they sell flowers?

    questions: Do + we, they + verb

  • The clock is opposite of the steps.

    The clock is opposite the steps.

    opposite + the place: no of

  • The steps are near of the subway.

    The steps are near the subway.

    near + the place: no of

More lessons on this grammar: Present simple lessons and exercises

Try the present simple questions and negatives exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 11 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what people do in a place with we and they, with no -s: They sell apples and bread.
  • make negatives with don't before the verb: We don't meet at night.
  • ask questions with do and give short answers: Do they sell flowers? Yes, they do.
  • say where a landmark is with near or opposite: The big clock is opposite the steps.
  • suggest a place to meet: Let's meet at the steps!

Lesson 26 is the second lesson of My town, the seventh unit of English A1.1 · Hello, World. It builds on lesson 22, where the present simple with we and they, don't and Do…? described the mail carriers' week, and lesson 28 reviews it. Union Square's landmarks, from the steps near the subway to the big clock opposite them, give near and opposite something real to describe.

Students learn ten words, from sell, play and watch to farmer and steps, with pictures and audio, then read the Greenmarket poster: food from farms in New York and New Jersey, a bronze George Washington on a horse from 1856, and wide steps where friends meet. They hear Emma and Kofi pick a meeting place (an AI-voiced dialogue) and a city guide at the steps. Four exercises follow the scheme in the grammar chapter, each checked as students answer: picking the right word, a gap-fill of questions and answers, a table that turns sentences into negatives and questions, and a final choice of the correct sentence. The speaking chapter has students reply to Kofi's messages about Saturday, then open boxes of questions about where they meet.

Homework puts sentences in order and matches market words with their meanings. Students then write a friend a short message to meet somewhere in their town and record a voice message about their favorite meeting place, both for the teacher to review.

Grammar:
present simple (we, they) · Do they…? Yes, they do. · near, opposite · Let's meet…
Topic:
Union Square · farmers markets · New York City · meeting places

Teaching tips

  • Start with the poster: ask what the farmers sell and collect answers with they (They sell eggs. They sell jam.), then ask Do they sell pizza? to bring in the question.
  • Play the fill-in table as a race: read a yes sentence, like They play chess, and teams compete to say the negative and the question first.
  • Act out opposite with two students facing each other across the room, then near with two standing close together, before the scheme shows the two words side by side.
  • After the chat with Kofi, have pairs plan a real meeting in your town with Let's meet at…, a day and a time.

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The whole course: English A1.1 · Hello, World

32 lessons for complete beginners in simple American English, from the verb to be to can and can't. Eight units cover greetings, family, numbers, home, food, daily routines, the town and free time, and each ends with a review lesson. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Hello!

    greetings, the verb to be, countries and nationalities, yes/no questions

    1. Lesson 1Hi, hey, howdy or aloha?The verb to be with I and you
    2. Lesson 2Ellis Island: where are they from?He's, she's, they're: the verb to be
    3. Lesson 3Six languages at the UNYes/no questions with be and short answers
    4. Lesson 4Review: hello from the Statue of LibertyThe verb to be and yes/no questions, reviewed

  2. Unit 2 My people

    family members, possessive adjectives, have got, describing people

    1. Lesson 5Why is Mother's Day in May?Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her
    2. Lesson 6Best in show!Have got and the possessive 's
    3. Lesson 7National Best Friends DaySubject pronouns, possessives and describing people
    4. Lesson 8Review: Bobbie the Wonder DogPossessives, have got and 's, reviewed

  3. Unit 3 Numbers all around

    numbers and dates, a/an and plurals, phone numbers and prices

    1. Lesson 9Why is March 14 Pi Day?Numbers 0 to 100, decimals and US dates
    2. Lesson 10How old is the General Sherman tree?A, an and plurals, with big numbers and How old…?
    3. Lesson 119-1-1 and other numbers to knowSaying phone numbers, emails and prices
    4. Lesson 12Review: 102 floors and 1,860 stepsNumbers, dates, ages and prices, reviewed

  4. Unit 4 Home sweet home

    rooms in a house, this, that, these and those, furniture, opposites

    1. Lesson 13A house with 132 roomsThis is, these are and plurals
    2. Lesson 14Boston's skinny house: where's the bed?This, that, these, those and Where's…?
    3. Lesson 15Can a dorm room be cozy?Opposite adjectives and have got
    4. Lesson 16Review: homes for everyoneShowing and describing a home, reviewed

  5. Unit 5 Food I love

    likes and dislikes, present simple questions, ordering food

    1. Lesson 17Pancakes for breakfast?I like, I don't like and plural nouns
    2. Lesson 18New York pizza or Chicago deep-dish?Present simple questions and short answers
    3. Lesson 19A coffee to go, please!Ordering food with I'd like and Can I have…?
    4. Lesson 20Review: lunch from a food truckI like, Do you like and I'd like, reviewed

  6. Unit 6 My day

    telling the time, daily routines, days of the week, prepositions of time

    1. Lesson 21What time is it in Times Square?Telling the time and daily routines
    2. Lesson 22Who brings the mail?The present simple with we and they
    3. Lesson 23Is it morning in Hawaii?Prepositions of time with parts of the day
    4. Lesson 24Review: a New York morningTime, routines and days, reviewed

  7. Unit 7 My town

    places in town, prepositions of place, giving directions

    1. Lesson 25Main Street, USAPrepositions of place: near and next to
    2. Lesson 26 · you're hereMeet me at Union SquarePresent simple questions and negatives with we and they
    3. Lesson 27Turn left on 42nd StreetImperatives for giving directions
    4. Lesson 28Review: streets for peoplePlaces, the present simple and directions, reviewed

  8. Unit 8 Free time

    hobbies, can and can't, sports, making plans

    1. Lesson 29Can you play Scrabble?Can and can't for ability
    2. Lesson 30Can you surf?Can for ability and how well
    3. Lesson 31Saturday morning: Little LeagueFree time and making plans
    4. Lesson 32Review: a book for every childCan, can't and free time, reviewed

Questions about this lesson

How do you make questions in the present simple?
Present simple questions start with do, then the subject and the base verb: Do they sell flowers? Do you meet at the steps? Question words like where and what come first: Where do you meet? What do they sell? In short answers, do stands in for the verb: Yes, they do, never Yes, they sell. With he, she and it, the helper changes to does: Does she sell bread?
How do you make the present simple negative?
Put don't (do not) before the base verb: We don't meet on Sundays. They don't play chess. The main verb stays as it is, so don't sells and not sell are both wrong. With he, she and it, the negative is doesn't: She doesn't meet her friends. The gap-fill in Meet me at Union Square, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, asks for The farmers don't sell cell phones.
How do you say where to meet in English?
To say where to meet, use Let's meet at… or Meet me at…: Let's meet at the steps! Meet me at the café opposite the park. Either phrase works, always with at before the place. Help your friend find it with near or opposite, then add a day and a time: The steps are near the subway. Let's meet there on Saturday at ten!
Is it "Do they sell" or "Are they sell"?
Say Do they sell…?: verbs like sell take do in questions. Do they sell flowers? Do you play chess? Are belongs to questions with be: Are they near the subway? The short answers follow suit: Yes, they do after Do…?, Yes, they are after Are…? The chat in the A1 lesson Meet me at Union Square on edio.ai sets Are they sell eggs too? as a trap.
Is it "they sell" or "they sells"?
It's they sell, with no -s: in the present simple, only he, she and it add -s to the verb (she sells). I, you, we, they and plural nouns keep the base form: The farmers sell apples. We meet at the steps. After do, does and their negatives, the verb never takes -s: Does she sell eggs?
Is it "opposite the park" or "opposite of the park"?
For places, it's opposite the park, with no of: The big clock is opposite the steps. The bank is opposite the school. Here opposite means facing it from across the street. The opposite of is another use, about meaning: Hot is the opposite of cold. Near takes no of either: near the subway.
What words do you need at a farmers market?
At a farmers market you need words for the food and for buying and selling: farmer, market, sell, buy, then fruit, apples, vegetables, eggs, cheese, bread, jam and flowers. Ask What do they sell? for the whole list, or Do they sell eggs? for one thing. The Greenmarket poster in Meet me at Union Square, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, adds apple cider and maple syrup.
How do I teach present simple questions and negatives to beginners?
Begin with we and they, so only do and don't are new: the verb looks the same in They sell apples, They don't sell apples and Do they sell apples? Leave does and the -s of she sells for later. The A1 lesson Meet me at Union Square on edio.ai keeps that order, from a poster and a dialogue to the scheme, four drills and a chat where students ask the questions.
What's a good game for practicing questions with do?
A spin-the-wheel game of Do you…? questions works well: a student spins, answers with Yes, I do or No, I don't, and adds one more sentence. This lesson's wheel asks Do you like markets? and Do you live near a park?, and its open boxes move on to Where do you and your friends meet?, ending with a real plan: Let's meet at … on … at …!
How do you practice present simple questions and negatives one-to-one?
Ask each other about real habits and places, and add a detail to every short answer: Do you have a market in your town? No, we don't. We shop at a supermarket. The chat in this lesson works with one student: a friend's messages plan Saturday at a market, and the student picks replies like Cool! Do they sell eggs too? Then turn the open boxes into a conversation.
What's good homework for practicing "Let's meet"?
Good homework is a short message inviting a friend to meet, with Let's meet at… or Meet me at… and a few we and they sentences: Meet me at the steps. The farmers sell great apples, and we have lunch there! In the A1 lesson Meet me at Union Square on edio.ai, the message and a voice recording go to the teacher, after two drills that check themselves.
Are there interactive exercises for present simple questions and negatives?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that check each answer right away. On this page, four parts of Meet me at Union Square, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, open with no account needed: the Greenmarket poster, a dialogue about where to meet, a gap-fill of questions and short answers (Do they sell apples? Yes, they do.), and a chat that plans Saturday at the market. The rest, like the fill-in table, is locked.
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