







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you think electric stoves are better? | |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | |
| I prefer red onions. | |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | |
| This is my boyfriend, Mike. | |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | |
| You were explaining why you are here at 07:30 in the morning. | |
| I really don't know, but I believe it's more than 100 years old. | |
| Yeah, I like having lasagne the day after it's cooked, it tastes better. | |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | |
| Mike, it is a continent! | |
| That's true! How much is your rent? | |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | |
| It's very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | |
| Here we go, I'm sure it means they pay much less. | |