







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 | |
|---|---|
| Sorry, madam, Friday is one of our busiest nights! | |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | |
| See you Mike, hope to see you again. | |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | |
| What's wrong with him? | |
| There is nothing under 3,000 in Angel! | |
| Hi girls, this is Mike. | |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | |
| Why is that? | |
| Which website do you use? | |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | |
| That's right, I think pressure cookers are quite dangerous, too! | |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | |
| And he looks about 3 years old now. | |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | |
| I think I've got a better idea about what to do with the bed! | |