







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 | |
|---|---|
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | |
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | |
| Hello Beatrix, it's me, Cate. | |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | |
| How long does it usually take? | |
| Thanks for being thoughtful, dear. | |
| Sorry, is it possible to see it this Saturday after 2 o'clock? | |
| 5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | |
| How is it my fault? | |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | |
| 360 degrees should be good. | |
| Absolutely not, while you are working you smoke like a chimney. | |
| Hello mate, where are you? | |
| Do you remember me? | |
| They're there, under the duvet. | |
| What does Diego do? | |
| That's nice... I hope she is not a teenager! How old is she? | |
| Hm, it's comes to roughly £150 a week, it's about the same. | |