







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | |
| It's in Islington, zone-1, it's the best place for me so far. | |
| Which website do you use? | |
| Is it possible to move in tomorrow? | |
| There is one at 11:00 and the next one is at 11:20. | |
| Yeah, that's a good idea. | |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | |
| I'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | |
| That's nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | |
| I think Diego and I are the only smokers in the house. | |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | |
| Maybe I get a bit moody on the first day of my period. | |
| That's a good question! | |
| I haven't seen her, either, and I don't really want to... | |