







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 | |
|---|---|
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Du coup, Pogo ne craint pas les chiens. |
| Bear hates being at a vet, too. | Bear aussi déteste aller chez le vétérinaire. |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Il doit être en train de dormir, il travaille souvent la nuit aussi. |
| I am half-British and half-Australian. | Je suis moitié Britannique moitié Australienne. |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Et nous avons à peser tout par nous même, etcetera. |
| Oh my god! It’s almost 12 o’clock. | Oh mon dieu ! il est presque 12 heures. |
| How dare he... He is so stupid!!! | Comment ose-t-il... Il est tellement stupide!!! |
| But he hisses occasionally, is it normal? | Mais il feule, c'est normal? |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | C'est individuellement, les petits coûtent 30p et les grand coûtent 50p. |
| I hope it’s not serious. | J'espère que ce n'est pas sérieux. |
| I'm on my way to Brighton, nearly there! | Je suis sur la route pour Brighton, je suis presque arrivé! |
| What's wrong with him? | Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas avec lui ? |
| Depends on where you look. | Ça dépend où tu regardes. |
| Is your father sick? | Ton père est-il malade? |
| Maybe she really is allergic to cats, we don't know that. | Peut-être qu'elle est vraiment allergique aux chats, on ne le sait pas. |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | Oui monsieur, vous pouvez vous asseoir à cette table. |
| Oh, sorry, I also need a grater for the cheese. | Oh, désolée, j'ai aussi besoin d'un râpe pour le fromage. |
| Of course, 2 tomatoes are enough, I think. | Bien sûr, 2 tomates sont suffisantes je crois. |
| Hello Beatrix, it's me, Cate. | Bonjour Beatrix, c'est moi, Cate. |
| So 2017 minus 1841 equals... | Donc 2017 moins 1841, ça fait... |