







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 | |
|---|---|
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Merci papa, où est la laisse de Bear? |
| Okay, I want to have something similar then! | Okay, j'aimerais avoir quelque chose de similaire du coup ! |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Je n'ai pas envie que tu dépenses une fortune. |
| Hey, we are back. | Salut, nous sommes de retour. |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Ouais, je pense que le logo paraît bien mieux au centre, qu'en penses-tu ? |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | Je peux cuisiner, bien sûr, mais seulement quand j'en ai envie. |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Te sens-tu un peu mieux maintenant? |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | Est-ce celui avec la langue bleue ? |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Bien sûr, mon nom est Cate et mon numéro est le 077... |
| Okay, so do you want me to make 3 serves? | Okay, du coup veux-tu que j'en fasse pour 3? |
| I've got a meeting with some people. | Je dois voir des gens. |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Du coup, Pogo ne craint pas les chiens. |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Je ne pense pas qu'il soit possible de trouver plus de configurations. |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | Eh bien, je ne pense pas qu'on a besoin de préparer plein de choses à la fois. |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | A l'étage, il y a Diégo et un couple Britannique à côté. |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Je travaille souvent jusqu'à très tard le soir, je ne me révéille jamais à 7 heures du matin. |
| I am, I have to be there at 12:30. | Si, je dois y être pour 12h30. |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Donc, tu viens d'Australie si je ne m'abuse. |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Veuillez m'excuser, j'ai besoin d'aller aux toilettes. |
| Are you with your friends? | Etes-vous avec vos amis ? |