







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 wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | Eu acordo e faço a cama e depois arrumo o quarto. |
| I'm on my way to Brighton, nearly there! | Eu estou a caminho de Brighton, quase a chegar! |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | O resto da casa está bem, a cozinha é que está um pouco suja. |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh não! Tem certeza que não tem nenhuma mesa disponível? |
| Hello, I'm sorry I'm a bit late. | Oi, desculpe, estou um pouco atrasada. |
| That's very interesting! | Isso é muito interessante! |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | E por vezes não vão a casa durante dias. |
| You don't know the story behind it. | Você não sabe a história toda. |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | Bem, eu não acho que seja preciso cozinhar demasiadas coisas de uma vez. |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Obrigado, até sábado, às 13:00. |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | Que legal, o que costuma cozinhar? |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Lamento imenso o incômodo. |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Você tem a certeza que ela é da Austrália? |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo é o meu gatinho, há algum problema? |
| Yes, he definitely doesn't like changing places. | Sim, Ele não gosta de mudar de lugar. |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Não tenho certeza, na verdade, qual é o seu? |
| Yes, he is one of them. | Sim, ele é um deles. |
| I can bring him with me when I come back for breakfast. | Eu posso trazê-lo comigo quando voltar para tomar o café da manhã. |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Muito bom! Espero que ele não o faça a toda a hora! |
| That's where Diego works, too! | O Diego também trabalhar aí! |