







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 | |
|---|---|
| Don't worry, I don't like having a very heavy breakfast. | |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | |
| What genre do you listen to? | |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | |
| I hope your friends don't mind. | |
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | |
| No, it's not mine, I think it belongs to the house. | |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | |
| How is your cat? | |
| The rice section is over there. | |
| I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | |
| That's so sad, how old are your parents? | |
| No, it's not okay, I'm screwed now! | |
| Aren't there four of us dear? | |
| Sometimes he doesn't even recognize my mum. | |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | |