







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 | |
|---|---|
| Come on, don't cry, she is just a stupid girl! | |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | |
| Thanks for being thoughtful, dear. | |
| Is that what you want to do? | |
| Well, I hope he doesn't keep on pooping all around the house! | |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | |
| Can you please not forget to take some poo bags with you! | |
| In these cases, Pogo stays home alone with no food and no attention. | |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | |
| Okay, so do you want me to make 3 serves? | |
| Hmm... actually, we have to boil it. | |
| Thank you, I'm 26. | |
| I'm okay, how are you? | |
| Thank you again for giving me your turn. | |
| Those kind of irresponsible people make me angry! | |
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | |
| What genre do you listen to? | |
| I'm sorry to say that no pets are allowed in the house! | |
| What do you do? | |