







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 | |
|---|---|
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Il ne le fait que lorsqu'il est extrêmement stressé! |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Uhm, à cet étage, il n'y a que moi et la fille Française d'à côté. |
| I am 24. | J'ai 24 ans. |
| That's a good question! | C'est une bonne question ! |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Russie t'as dit? C'est assez inhabituel! |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | Tu veux que je coupe les champignons pour toi? |
| When you stop believing we can get a house in Mayfair for 2,400! | Lorsque tu arrêteras de croire qu'on peut avoir une maison à Mayfair pour 2400 ! |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | Avec des plaques au gaz, quelqu'un risque de les oublier, c'est trop dangeureux! |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Ta-ta elle est là... |
| There is one at 11:00 and the next one is at 11:20. | Il y en a un à 11:00 et le prochain à 11:20. |
| Of course! It's my favourite pub. | Bien sûr ! C'est mon pub préféré. |
| I'm sorry guys, there is no negotiation on the rent! | Désolé les gars mais il n'y a pas de négociation sur le loyer! |
| As they say, time is the best medicine. | Comme ils disent, le temps est le meilleur des médicaments. |
| But Bear has got hip dysplasia. | Mais Bear est atteint de dysplasie. |
| Bacon and eggs with some olives is enough for me. | Du bacon, des oeufs et quelques olives me suffisent. |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | Il est... désolé Mike, que faites-vous ? |
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | Et bien, je n'y arrive pas, je pense que ça fait bien plus que 150 ans. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Je suis bien, et toi? |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear est assis avec moi, son zizi est dehors. |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Oui, c'est mieux de ne pas la remplir complètement, elle fuit à l'étage d'en dessous. |