







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 | |
|---|---|
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | |
| Do you want me to call them? | |
| Okay, so do you want me to make 3 serves? | |
| I don't think it's normal, do you think it's normal? | |
| You look much younger than that. | |
| Is there a problem with your phone battery? | |
| Let me check... when is best for you? | |
| No, it's not mine, I think it belongs to the house. | |
| Does that help you to believe me? | |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | |
| How dare he... He is so stupid!!! | |
| Toby! This is Cate, she is my... friend, from London. | |
| Are you serious? | |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | |
| There is nothing much left to do, there are only bits and pieces. | |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | |
| I don't think it's a suitable movie for kids, dear. | |
| So 2017 minus 1841 equals... | |
| Does the kid think he is a robot or the robot think it's a kid? | |