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A basket on wheels? Negatives with doesn't at the supermarket

Students learn negatives with doesn't in this A1 ESL lesson plan about the first shopping cart.

Grammar
Present simple negatives: doesn't + the base verb for he, she and it (She doesn't carry a basket. It doesn't have a motor.), don't for I, you, we and they, and no -s after doesn't.
Topic
Supermarkets, from the first shopping carts in Oklahoma City in 1937 to a Saturday shop in Brooklyn, with words such as aisle, checkout, cashier and basket.
Activities
A poster on the first shopping cart to read, a supermarket dialogue and a store announcement to hear, self-checking drills, a shopping-list chat, open-box questions and a note to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, supermarket!

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

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: a basket on wheels

    • Look at the picture: an old shopping cartPictureUnlock
    • Read the posterReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: shopping day

    • Listen to Priya and KofiListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Listen to a store announcementListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: she doesn't carry

    • Study the scheme: don't and doesn'tGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: don't or doesn't + verbFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: don't, doesn't, isn't, aren'tDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: the shopping list

    • Choose the right replies: the shopping listChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: yes and noOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Fill in the table: useFill in the tableUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a note: a person in my homeWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record yourself: a person I knowSpeaking, 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.

Supermarket 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

  • shopping cart
  • basket
  • wheel
  • aisle
  • checkout
  • cashier
  • bag

Grammar: present simple negatives with don't and doesn't

The present simple negative needs a helper before the verb: don't or doesn't. Reading about the first shopping cart and shopping with Priya and Kofi, learners use doesn't for one person or thing, keep don't for I, you, we and they, and leave the -s off the verb.

She doesn't carry a basket. It doesn't have a motor.

Say no in the present simple: don't or doesn't + verb.

Yes and no for every person

Each row of the table sets a yes beside its no: He pushes the cart. He doesn't push the cart. It has wheels. It doesn't have a motor. In the no column, every verb is back in its base form.

WhoYes ✓No ✗
II use a basket.I don't use a basket.
youYou use a basket.You don't use a basket.
heHe pushes the cart.He doesn't push the cart.
sheShe carries a basket.She doesn't carry a basket.
itIt has wheels.It doesn't have a motor.
weWe shop on Saturday.We don't shop on Saturday.
theyThey want carts.They don't want carts.

he, she, it: doesn't + verb

With one person or thing, the -s moves from the verb to doesn't: she carries becomes Priya doesn't carry a basket, and has goes back to have: The first cart doesn't have a motor.

he / she / itdoesn'tverb

Kofi doesn't use a cart.

Priya doesn't carry a basket.

The first cart doesn't have a motor.

I, you, we, they: don't + verb

Everyone else takes don't: I don't need a bag. Many shoppers don't want the carts. Two names together are they, so it's Emma and Tunde don't like spicy food.

I / you / we / theydon'tverb

I don't need a bag.

Many shoppers don't want the carts.

doesn't = does not

Doesn't is short for does not, and the gap-fills accept both forms. What a negative can't lose is the helper: She not carry is wrong, and She doesn't carry is right.

doesn't = does not

After doesn't, the verb has no -s: she carries → she doesn't carry, he pushes → he doesn't push, it has → it doesn't have. Don't forget doesn't: She not carry ✗ → She doesn't carry ✓

Common mistakes

  • She doesn't carries a basket.

    She doesn't carry a basket.

    doesn't + verb: no -s

  • It doesn't has a motor.

    It doesn't have a motor.

    doesn't + have, not has

  • He don't use a cart.

    He doesn't use a cart.

    he, she, it → doesn't

  • They doesn't want carts.

    They don't want carts.

    I, you, we, they → don't

More lessons on this grammar: Present simple lessons and exercises

Try the doesn't exercises

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

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 12 auto-checked exercises
  • 2 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 someone doesn't do with doesn't + the base verb: Kofi doesn't use a cart. It doesn't have a motor.
  • use don't with I, you, we, they and plural nouns: Many shoppers don't want the carts.
  • tell doesn't from isn't: Kofi isn't a cashier. He doesn't use a cart.
  • talk about a supermarket, from the aisle and the shopping cart to the checkout and the cashier

Lesson 2 is the second lesson of Shopping, the first unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on the -s, -es and -ies after he, she and it from lesson 1, and on lesson 26 of English A1.1 · Hello, World, which made negatives with don't for we and they; lesson 6 then asks questions with does. The poster's story needs negatives from the start: the first cart doesn't have a motor, and many shoppers don't want the carts.

Students spin a wheel of shopping questions and learn ten supermarket words, from push and use to cashier, with pictures and audio. The poster tells how Sylvan Goldman put a basket on a folding chair, added wheels and paid people to push the new carts. Students then hear Priya and Kofi shop on a Saturday (an AI-voiced dialogue) and a store announcement. Four self-checking exercises follow the scheme: picking the right word, a gap-fill of don't or doesn't + verb, a drag-and-drop that sets doesn't beside isn't, and a last choice of the correct sentence. In the speaking chapter, students help Sam make a shopping list in a chat, then open boxes about what people do and don't do.

Homework starts with a yes-and-no table of use for every person and a word match, both checked automatically. Then students write a new roommate a note about someone in their home and record a talk about a friend or relative, for the teacher to review.

Grammar:
present simple negatives · doesn't + verb · don't + verb · he, she, it
Topic:
shopping carts · supermarkets · Oklahoma City · shopping

Teaching tips

  • Bring a basket and a picture of a cart, and ask what each one doesn't have: It doesn't have wheels. It doesn't have a motor.
  • Change the verb back when doesn't comes in: write she carries, add doesn't, turn carries back into carry, and read the new sentence together.
  • Run a quick class survey with Do you drink coffee?, then have students report back: He drinks coffee. She doesn't drink coffee.
  • Turn the chat into a pair task: each student names two foods someone at home doesn't like, and the partner fixes the shopping list: No bacon. My brother doesn't like bacon.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2 · you're hereA basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

How do you use doesn't in English?
Doesn't makes a present simple verb negative after he, she, it or one person or thing, and the verb after it has no -s: She doesn't carry a basket. It doesn't have a motor. It is short for does not. With I, you, we and they, use don't: We don't shop on Saturday. In A basket on wheels?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, a poster says the first shopping cart doesn't have a motor.
How do you form the present simple negative?
Put don't or doesn't between the subject and the base verb: I don't need a bag. He doesn't use a cart. Choose doesn't for he, she and it and don't for everyone else, and never add -s to the verb after either one. The full forms mean the same and suit formal writing: The store does not open on Sunday morning.
When do you use don't and when doesn't?
Use doesn't with he, she, it and singular nouns, and don't with I, you, we, they and plural nouns. Jack doesn't like bacon, but Emma and Tunde don't like spicy food. The store doesn't close at nine. My roommates don't shop on Sunday. You may hear he don't in casual speech, but standard English uses he doesn't.
Is "doesn't" short for "does not"?
Yes, doesn't is the short form of does not, just as don't is short for do not. Both mean the same: It doesn't have a motor. It does not have a motor. The short form is usual in speech and messages, while the full form sounds more formal or adds stress. The A1 lesson A basket on wheels? on edio.ai accepts both in its gap-fills.
Is it "she doesn't like" or "she doesn't likes"?
It's she doesn't like, with no -s on the verb, because doesn't already carries the ending. Jack doesn't like bacon. Mia doesn't like blueberries. The same rule turns has back into have: It doesn't have a motor, never It doesn't has a motor. In the shopping-list chat of A basket on wheels? on edio.ai, Jack doesn't likes bacon is one of the wrong replies.
What's the difference between doesn't and isn't?
Isn't goes with be, doesn't with other verbs: He isn't a cashier. He doesn't use a cart. Use isn't and aren't before a noun, an adjective or a place (The carts aren't in the aisle.), and doesn't or don't before a base verb. Never mix the two: He isn't push the cart is wrong, and so is He doesn't a cashier.
What supermarket vocabulary do beginners need?
Beginners need the places, things and people of a store: supermarket, aisle, shelf, checkout, cashier, shopping cart, basket and bag, with the verbs push, use and carry. An aisle is the long path between shelves; the checkout is where you pay. The A1 lesson A basket on wheels? on edio.ai teaches ten supermarket words, from push to bag, each with a picture and audio.
What do people say at the supermarket in English?
At the supermarket you'll hear short questions and directions about carts, aisles and checkouts: Do you need a cart? Fresh bread and apples are in aisle three. Please use checkout one, two or three. At the checkout, a shopper might say I don't need a bag, thanks. The store announcement in A basket on wheels? on edio.ai adds two negatives: Checkout four doesn't work today and the store doesn't close at nine.
How do I teach doesn't to beginners?
Turn yes sentences into no sentences, one at a time: She carries a basket becomes She doesn't carry a basket, so students see the -s leave the verb. Teach it right after the -s of she wears, with don't beside it for contrast. The lesson takes that path: a poster and a dialogue first, then the scheme, drills from picking the right word to typing it, and a chat.
What's a good game for practicing don't and doesn't?
A good one is an open-the-box game of yes-and-no prompts: a student opens a box and answers it, for example My bag has a phone and keys. It doesn't have a laptop. This lesson's boxes also ask about a classmate (… drinks coffee. / … doesn't drink coffee.), and its spin wheel starts with Do you like supermarkets?
What's good homework for practicing present simple negatives?
Good homework is a note about what someone does and doesn't do, since a real person needs both forms: He plays guitar. He doesn't watch TV. He doesn't use a shopping cart! In the A1 lesson A basket on wheels? on edio.ai, a fill-in table of use and a word match check themselves; the note for a new roommate and a voice recording go to the teacher.
Are there interactive exercises for doesn't?
Yes: typed gap-fills of don't or doesn't + verb check every answer. On this page, four parts of A basket on wheels?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, open without an account: the shopping cart poster, Priya and Kofi's dialogue at the supermarket, a gap-fill such as Kofi doesn't use a shopping cart, and Sam's chat about the shopping list. The drag-and-drop and the other drills are locked.
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