







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 | |
|---|---|
| Where is your school, is it in central London? | 你的学校在哪里,在伦敦市中心吗? |
| Is your dog a Chow Chow? | 你的狗是松狮吗? |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | 是的,我想看下浴室... |
| But I think that's only for older women. | 但是我认为那只适用于年龄稍微大一点的女士。 |
| I think you wake me up more often than mosquitoes do! | 我觉得你把我叫醒的次数比蚊子还频繁! |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | 可以,我们的厨房是重新翻修过的... |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | 你说得是留胡子的那个人吗? |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | 恭喜... 但是Pogo是宠物的名字吗? |
| What's the date today? | 今天是几号? |
| It sounds like a good deal. | 听起来不错。 |
| I'm a web designer. | 我是一位网页设计师。 |
| I need some parsley, but it looks a bit limp. | 我需要一些欧芹,但是它们看起来有点软。 |
| I think I did, too, but I've got a really bad headache! | 我觉得也还好,但是我的头真的一直很疼! |
| Do you have any area in mind? | 你还有什么想法吗? |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | 小心第三个台阶,不是很稳。 |
| No, no, nothing is wrong, no need to worry, we are all fine... | 不,没有,没有错,不要担心,我们都很好... |
| Sorry, I don't have much time, can I tell you the story when I'm back? | 抱歉,我没多少时间了,我能回来再跟你们讲吗? |
| Nothing, 'cause I don't know what the woman looks like. | 不知道,因为我不知道那个妇人长得怎样。 |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | 我不喜欢现实生活中的暴力,我只喜欢电影中的。 |
| Does anyone else want something to drink? | 有人想喝点什么东西吗? |