







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 | |
|---|---|
| Here we go, I'm sure it means they pay much less. | Nous y voilà, je suis sûr qu'ils payent moins. |
| I've checked some, there is nothing I like so far. | Oui, j'en ai regardé quelques unes, je n'ai rien pour l'instant. |
| I'm unleashing him now, is that okay for you? | Je vais le lâcher, ça te va? |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | C'est sur la Northern line, la même qu'on utilise ici. |
| 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. |
| Yes, he is totally fine after resting for a while. | Oui, il va très bien après s'être reposé pendant un certain temps. |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Pourquoi ne réponds-tu pas à ton téléphone ? |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Je pense qu'il veut boire de l'eau. |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Merci, ouais, comme je l'ai dit, Carmen est en zone 2... |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Vraiment ? Comment fais-je pour te réveiller ? |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | Heu, tu pourrais leur dire que c'est notre anniversaire de mariage. |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | On dirait que tu as de l'expérience avec le café. |
| No worries, it's free for you today. | Pas de problème, c'est gratuit pour toi aujourd'hui. |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | On a besoin de changer d'avion à un moment donné. |
| The recipe is for 6 people. | La recette est pour 6 personnes. |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Je n'avais jamais été là-bas auparavant, où est-ce que c'est ? |
| That's true! How much is your rent? | C'est vrai! Combien coûte ton loyer? |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Mais c'est vrai, quelques chow-chows sont un peu agressifs. |
| That's a good question! | C'est une bonne question ! |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Peu importe, je dois aller au petit coin également... |