







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 | |
|---|---|
| These days I'm into 60's, 70's remixes. | En ce moment, je suis plutôt remix des années 60 et 70. |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | L'autre est à 3000, mais cela inclut les factures. |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Morrison n'est-il pas plus près? |
| Or worse, sometimes they throw a party at home! | Ou pire, parfois, ils font la fête à la maison! |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Ok, je n'aime pas cuisiner mais j'aime goûter la nouriture. |
| I guess my only choice is coming to your house! | Je crois que mon seul choix est de venir chez toi! |
| Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | Oh regarde moi ce toutou, il est toujours plus grand que la dernière fois ! |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Est-ce que t'as bien vérifié, on en a aucun? |
| Is that what you want me to do? | C'est ce que tu veux que je fasse? |
| Let's calculate, I pay 135 per week for one person... | On n'a qu'à calculer, je paye 135 par semaine pour une personne... |
| Yes, I like them, too. | Oui, je les aime aussi. |
| No, but it's not good for him to take the stairs up and down everyday. | Non, mais monter et descendre les escaliers tous les jours n'est pas bon pour lui. |
| No worries, I have got a peeler for you! | Pas de problème, j'ai un économe pour toi! |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Très bien! J'espère qu'il ne le fait pas tout le temps! |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Bien sûr, notre cuisine a récemment été fournie... |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Ça aurait pu être sa mère... Qui sait? |
| I need some parsley, but it looks a bit limp. | J'ai besoin de persil, mais ils ne semblent pas frais. |
| You know tomorrow is my last day. | Tu sais que demain est mon dernier jour. |
| I think the price is very cheap. | Je pense que le prix est vraiment bas. |
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | Y a-t-il des frites ou quelque chose à grignotter ? |