







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 | |
|---|---|
| But I think that's only for older women. | |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | |
| Why do you want to live there? | |
| Do you want me to get you a glass of wine? | |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | |
| There is one at 11:00 and the next one is at 11:20. | |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | |
| What do you think, dear, do you like it, too? | |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | |
| No worries, I have got a peeler for you! | |
| He looks like he is interested in you! | |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | |
| Where is Flora, isn't she here? | |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | |
| I think Diego and I are the only smokers in the house. | |
| I'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | |