







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 | |
|---|---|
| Well, it's about a kid, I mean a robot. | 好吧,它是讲一个小孩,我的意思是一个机器人。 |
| Hi, is your cat okay? | 嗨,你的猫还好吧? |
| The recipe is not from the internet, it's from a Jamie Oliver book. | 那个食谱不是网上的,是杰米.奥利佛书里的。 |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | 好的,找到了...但它看起来很脏! |
| Set times always stress me out. | 时间限定总是令我不自在。 |
| My cat is in the garden. | 我的猫猫在花园里。 |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | 不错,你通常会烧什么? |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | 这是我的女朋友,凯特。 |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | 如果你是要钱的话,我一样也没有。 |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | 是的,我想通常你都是6点半左右去上班。 |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | 我终于完成了,明天是个大日子! |
| Also, he has got a very lovely, cute dog. | 他还有一只非常可爱伶俐的狗。 |
| Okay, we have all the things we need, then. | 好的,那我们需要的东西就都有了。 |
| Is that okay for you? | 这可以吗? |
| Yeah, I think killing mosquitoes is fair. | 是的,我觉得杀蚊子是公平的。 |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | 谢天谢地,没什么可担心的了。 |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | 大家好,你一定是凯特,我是约瑟夫。 |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | 我很抱歉没能出席你的开张典礼。 |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | 你期望我把墙推倒使房间更大一些吗? |
| What about that table? It looks better. | 那张桌怎么样?它看起来好一些。 |