







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 | |
|---|---|
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Bien sûr cherie, tu veux un verre ou une bouteille ? |
| In these cases, Pogo stays home alone with no food and no attention. | Dans ce cas, Pogo reste seul à la maison sans nourriture ni attention. |
| So, it's obvious you have no clue how much renting a house costs. | Donc, c'est évident que tu n'as aucune idée du prix du loyer d'un maison. |
| Thank you again for giving me your turn. | Merci encore de m'avoir fait passé avant vous. |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Bien sûr, mon nom est Cate et mon numéro est le 077... |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Mon père est Britannique et ma mère est Australienne. |
| It sounds like a good deal. | Cela me semble bien. |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Comment les choses se passent-ils, tout va bien? |
| I think you wake me up more often than mosquitoes do! | Je pense que tu me réveilles plus souvent que les moustiques ! |
| There is also some cheese, but it's a bit mouldy. | Il y a aussi du fromage mais il est un peu moisi. |
| By the way, the deposit is £3,000 and non-negotiable... | Au fait, l'acompte est de 3000£ et c'est non-négociable... |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Oui, c'est clair, mais le tien n'est pas si flagrant. |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | Mais Tesco est plus grand, ils ont une plus grande diversité de produits. |
| Is there any other cat around? | Il y en a un autre ici? |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | Oh, allez chéri, je rigolais, tu le sais bien... |
| What else do we need? | On a besoin de quoi d'autre? |
| Sometimes he doesn't even recognize my mum. | Parfois, il ne reconnaît même pas ma mère. |
| Depends on where you look. | Ça dépend où tu regardes. |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Laisse-moi vérifier, nous n'avons seulement besoin que de beurre. |
| Oh, sorry, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to order what I want! | Oh, pardon, je ne savais pas que je n'étais pas autorisé à commander ce que je veux ! |