







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 | |
|---|---|
| You are right, it's probably worth more than one cigarette. | Tu as raison, il vaut probablement plus qu'une cigarette. |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Bonjour les gars, vous devez être Cate, je suis Joseph. |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | Il y en a plein d'autres, mais je pense que gumtree.com est le meilleur. |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Ah bon? Je ne sais pas... Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
| That's so sad, how old are your parents? | C'est tellement triste, quel âge ont tes parents? |
| Do you have their number? | As-tu leur numéro ? |
| To me, wasting it is weirder! | Pour moi, gaspiller c'est plus bizarre ! |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | On dirait qu'il n'y a personne à la maison! |
| I want to be sober and energetic for tomorrow. | Je veux être sobre et en forme pour demain. |
| Okay, that's fine. | Okay, ça me va. |
| Do you want the tray in the middle? | Tu veux que le plateau soit au milieu? |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalement, il est bien plus cher que les autres. |
| What is it about? | De quoi ça parle ? |
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Oh mon dieu, je suis trop fatiguée là. |
| Yes, I think she's great! | Oui ! |
| You don’t look like an English teacher to me. | Vous ne ressemblez pas à un professeur d'anglais. |
| Does the kid think he is a robot or the robot think it's a kid? | L'enfant pense qu'il est un robot ou le robot pense qu'il est un enfant ? |
| Well, I hope he doesn't keep on pooping all around the house! | Bien, j'espère qu'il ne fera pas caca partout dans la maison! |
| Because you are in it. | Tu es avec moi. |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | On dirait que tu as de l'expérience avec le café. |