







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 | |
|---|---|
| What's the time, are we early? | Quelle heure est-il, on est en avance? |
| No, but I definitely don't want to live in that house anymore! | Non, mais je ne veux plus du tout vivre dans cette maison ! |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | Oui, je veux voir la salle de bains... |
| Do they weigh them here or at the checkout? | Les pèsent-ils ici où à la caisse ? |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | C'est un de mes meilleurs amis, malheureusement. |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Ça aurait pu être sa mère... Qui sait? |
| Is it possible not to be able to find return tickets? | C'est possible de ne pas en trouver? |
| Is that what you want me to do? | C'est ce que tu veux que je fasse? |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | Peux-tu me montrer quels habits je dois déplacer ? |
| I'm unleashing him now, is that okay for you? | Je vais le lâcher, ça te va? |
| Where is my f*cking tenner? | Où sont mes p*tains de dix balles? |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Elle est moitié japonaise, moitié australienne. |
| Do you want me to tell her that you are here? | Veux-tu que j'aille lui dire que tu es là? |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Et nous avons à peser tout par nous même, etcetera. |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | Oui monsieur, vous pouvez vous asseoir à cette table. |
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | Au fait, j'aime la couleur des murs... Qu'en penses-tu? |
| Come on dear, I know you want me to! | Allez chéri, je sais que tu le veux! |
| 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. |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | C'est impossible pour moi de passer de la zone 9 à la zone 1 tous les jours. |
| We all love bank holidays. | Nous adorons les jours fériés. |