







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | |
| I think so, at least there is no aggression. | |
| Why is that? | |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | |
| Do you want me to tell her that you are here? | |
| What else do we need? | |
| Set times always stress me out. | |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | |
| Mike, it is a continent! | |
| I will ask him to take Bear out, so we can have breakfast. | |
| Is it possible not to be able to find return tickets? | |
| What's the date today? | |
| My friend noted here it is your wedding anniversary! | |
| Hello, I'm sorry I'm a bit late. | |