







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 | |
|---|---|
| It seems there is no one in the house! | On dirait qu'il n'y a personne à la maison! |
| You are right, it's probably worth more than one cigarette. | Tu as raison, il vaut probablement plus qu'une cigarette. |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | Non, elle est vraiment mignonne, ouverte et amicale comme fille. |
| 5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | Une maison individuelle de 5 chambres sur Lyme Street à 2800£, est-ce bien ça ? |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Vraiment ? Je n'ai pas envie de ruiner ton plan, mais... |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | Mais l'un des deux paquets coûte 2.44 livres tandis que l'autre coûte 1.22 livres. |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Je ne pense pas, les trains quittent la gare toutes les 20 minutes à peu près. |
| Plus the bathroom and the kitchen are clean. | En plus, la cuisine et la salle de bain sont propres. |
| Isn't that funny? | C'est drôle, n'est-ce pas ? |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm... Je pense que c'est périmé. |
| Do you need to wake up early tomorrow or something? | Vous devez vous lever tôt demain ? |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Est-ce que t'as bien vérifié, on en a aucun? |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | On dirait que Pogo veut aller dans le jardin. |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | Il ne me rester que Samedi avant de déménager Dimanche. |
| How old are you? | Quel âge avez-vous ? |
| What about that table? It looks better. | Et cette table ? Elle me semble meilleure. |
| Okay, the grated one's 20% off today. | Okay, ce qui est en promotion a 20% de réduction aujourd'hui. |
| There is nothing much left to do, there are only bits and pieces. | Il n'y a plus grand chose à faire, il n'y a que des trucs par-ci par-là. |
| Let me check... Yes, there are some plates. | Laisse-moi vérifier... Oui, il y a quelques assiettes. |
| Hey, the water is boiling, do you want me to pour it into a pot? | Hé, l'eau bout, tu veux que je la verse dans une casserole? |