







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | Non elle va très bien, heureusement. |
| Last night we were open till very late, and you know her excuse. | Pendant la soirée d'hier, nous avons été ouverts jusqu'à très tard, et tu connais son excuse. |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hé, quelle est la station la plus proche de China Town ? |
| I don't have time to cook everyday. | Je n'ai pas le temps de cuisiner tous les jours. |
| Do your parents live in London, too? | Tes parents vivent à Londres aussi? |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Je suis désolé, je ne suis pas doué pour me souvenir des noms! |
| I don't think you really want me to stay here anymore! | Je ne pense pas que tu veuilles vraiment que je reste ici! |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | Ouais, je vous prendrais bien une bière, je suppose que tu veux du vin, Cate ? |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | Je pense qu'on devrait attendre jusqu'à ce que cette fumée disparaisse. |
| It's about a web project. | C'est à propos d'un projet web. |
| We're out tonight for Laura. | Nous sortons ce soir pour Laura. |
| Hmm... Tomorrow is a bank holiday. | Hum... demain est un jour férié. |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Désolé de te demander, mais t'as tes règles ou quoi? |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Comment les choses se passent-ils, tout va bien? |
| Then you can decide if I'm a good cook or not! | Tu pourras voir si je suis un bon cuisinier ou pas! |
| You know, she is normally an extremely quiet and calm person. | Tu sais, c'est une personne très silencieuse et très calme d'habitude. |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | On a besoin de changer d'avion à un moment donné. |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Merci de me le proposer chéri. |
| Erm, sorry, but I think you have the wrong Mike... | Euh, désolé, mais je pense que vous vous êtes trompés de Mike... |
| I like the seafood restaurants there. | J'aime les restaurants de crustacés là-bas. |