







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 | |
|---|---|
| Mike, it is a continent! | Mike, c'est un continent! |
| Anyway, my lesson is starting now, I have to go. | Peu importe, mon cours commence, je dois partir. |
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Désolé, la ligne est très mauvaise! |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Oui, c'est clair, mais le tien n'est pas si flagrant. |
| It's not a big deal but it's quite an important thing to mention. | C'est pas ouf mais c'est assez important que tu me le dises. |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Euh, c'est le gestionnaire marketing de l'entreprise. |
| Umm, oh yes, I can see it now, the ad number is 9845... | Heu, oh oui, je peux le voir maintenant, le numéro d'annonce est le 9845... |
| Do you live around here? | Vivez-vous prêt d'ici ? |
| The place I am having the meeting is very close to Brighton Pier. | L'endroit où j'ai la réunion est très proche de Brighton. |
| I hope it’s not serious. | J'espère que ce n'est pas sérieux. |
| I feel hungry, too. | J'ai faim aussi. |
| My laptop is in it. | Mon ordinateur est dedans. |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Il doit être en train de dormir, il travaille souvent la nuit aussi. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Je suis désolé du malentendu. |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Pu**in, c'est qui à cette heure? |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Ouais, tu as raison, c'est plus utile lorsque nous avons peu de choses. |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Te sens-tu un peu mieux maintenant? |
| Why? I never put a question mark when I search something! | Pourquoi ? Je ne mets jamais de point d'interrogation lorsque je cherche quelque chose ! |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Ouais, d'habitude tu vas au travail vers 6h30. |