







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | |
| Mike! You can't use people's stuff without asking! | |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | |
| How are you? | |
| I hope he gets well soon. | |
| Of course! It's my favourite pub. | |
| Hmm... actually, we have to boil it. | |
| Hello there, are you Cate? | |
| Okay, that's fine. | |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | |
| To me, wasting it is weirder! | |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | |
| Is it a single or a double room? | |
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | |
| We all love bank holidays. | |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | |