







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 | |
|---|---|
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Nossa, sinto-me demasiado cansada agora. |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Me deixe ver, só precisamos de manteiga. |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Tcharã aqui está... |
| How many people live in this house? | Quantas pessoas vivem nesta casa? |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Com licença, preciso ir no banheiro. |
| How are you? | Como você está? |
| It makes all of our clothes stink! | Todas as nossas roupas ficam a cheirar mal! |
| Australia is very strict with its customs rules. | A Austrália é muito rigorosa no que toca às regras nas alfândegas. |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Estou muito impressionada com a arquitetura desta estação. |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Por isso o Pogo dá-se muito bem com cães. |
| Your perfectly shaped mushrooms are ready! | Seus cogumelos perfeitamente cortados estão prontos! |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | Todo meu trabalho está no laptop e eu não tenho nenhuma cópia de segurança! |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Erm... Eu sei que ronco ocasionalmente, eu ronco todos os dias? |
| Do we have a sieve? | Temos peneira? |
| 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. |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Sim, é um país muito grande, é mais um continente. |
| I want him to check the heaters in the rooms while he is here! | Eu quero que ele verifique os aquecedores dos quartos enquanto ele está cá! |
| Nope, it gives me a headache! | Não, fico com dores de cabeça! |
| How old are you? | Quantos anos você tem? |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | Que legal, o que costuma cozinhar? |