







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 | |
|---|---|
| I don't know, maximum 33? | 글쎄, 최대 서른 셋? |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | 어쩌면 안전 문제 때문에 셰어하우스에서는 전기 스토브를 선호할지도 모르겠어. |
| What's your favourite movie? | 네가 제일 좋아하는 영화는 뭐야? |
| He just moved from Brighton and lives around here. | 브라이튼에서 최근에 이사와서 요 근처에 살아. |
| No, no, nothing is wrong, no need to worry, we are all fine... | 아냐, 아냐, 잘못된 건 하나도 없단다, 걱정하지 말렴, 우리는 잘 지내니까... |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | 아무래도 수염 때문에 더 나이가 들어보이나봐. |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | 할 수야 있지, 물론. 하지만 하고 싶을 때만 해. |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | 그렇네, 네 말이 맞아. 물건이 적을 때 더 유용하지. |
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | 방도 넓고, 빛도 잘 들고, 침대도 편안해 보여요! |
| It's the second one from the top. | 위에서 두 번째 거야. |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | 네, 이쪽 테이블로 안내해드릴게요. |
| I prefer red onions. | 나는 적양파가 좋아. |
| I can't imagine myself being on a plane for that long! | 그렇게나 오래 비행기를 탄다니 나라면 절대 못해! |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | 안녕, 어느 개 길러요, 마이크? |
| Then I want to roast it, though. | 하지만 그 다음엔 구웠으면 해. |
| I only have 3 hours today. | 오늘은 3시간만 하면 돼. |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | 우리 하우스메이트들은 부엌에 있는 건 아무것도 안 치운다구. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | 셀프 계산대에서는 일일이 항목 찾는 게 어려워. |
| It's too fruity. | 너무 과일향 나. |
| Oh my god! It’s almost 12 o’clock. | 아 세상에! 벌써 12시가 다 돼가네. |