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 | |
---|---|
Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | やあ、ケイト!なにか必要? |
I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | あなたは先生には若すぎるように見えるから。 |
Maybe I know your friend. | おそらく友達も知っているよ。 |
Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | わあ、大きい子だねぇ。見るたびに大きくなってるよ! |
Unfortunately, I don't have one! Where is yours? | 残念だけど、そんなの持ってないわよ! あなたのはどこ? |
What do you want me to do with them? | これで何をして欲しい? |
I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | 実生活での暴力は嫌よ。映画での暴力シーンだけね。 |
Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | どうして?僕にとってこれはすごく片付いてるよ! |
I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | いつか、誰かがテレポーテーションを発明した時に行ってみたいよ。 |
Hey, we are back. | やあ、戻ってきたよ。 |
Of course, she is an angel, do you want to talk to your mum? | もちろんさ。彼女はまるで天女だね。お母さんと話したいんだな? |
I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | あなたのミスなんて言ってないでしょ。さあ次はあなたの番よ… |
Dear, who is it? | ねえ、あなた、どちら様なの? |
Why? I never put a question mark when I search something! | どうして? 検索するときにクエスチョン・マークなんて付けないわよ! |
It's not a nice thing to do. | それは良い事じゃないわね。 |
I hope they are going to be here on time, too... I don't like waiting. | 先方も時間どおりだといいんだけど… 待つのは好きじゃないからね。 |
Who is Mike, darling? | マイクって誰? |
You're right, but he is not only here to fix things... | まあそうなんだけど、修理のためだけにここにいるわけじゃないんだ… |
You look a bit sad, are you okay? | 君少し悲しそうだよ、大丈夫? |
I can't imagine myself being on a plane for that long! | そんなに長い間自分がフライトしているなんて想像できないよ! |