







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 | |
|---|---|
| I think 4000 quid is big enough. | Je crois que 4000 livres c'est déjà pas mal. |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | Si tu veux me demander de l'argent, je n'en ai pas non plus. |
| Where is my f*cking tenner? | Où sont mes p*tains de dix balles? |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, c'est incroyable, elle est à toi? |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | C'est vrai, on devrait jamais oublier à quel point mes colocataires sont irresponsables. |
| Hmm... Tomorrow is a bank holiday. | Hum... demain est un jour férié. |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Russie t'as dit? C'est assez inhabituel! |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Je suis heureux de l'entendre. |
| In these cases, Pogo stays home alone with no food and no attention. | Dans ce cas, Pogo reste seul à la maison sans nourriture ni attention. |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Enfin, voici Cate et ses collègues de travail. |
| Sorry, I hope it doesn't ruin your childhood memories... | Pardon, J'espère que ça ne ruine pas tes souvenirs d'enfance... |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Pas de problème, tout le monde se sert de mes affaires. |
| How often do you have free time, then? | Et quand avez-vous du temps libre ? |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Vraiment ? Je n'ai pas envie de ruiner ton plan, mais... |
| I want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Je voudrais essayer le Sauvignon Blanc. |
| I think so, he can look around while Bear is not here. | Je crois que ça ira, il peut faire le tour pendant que Bear n'est pas là. |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Je pense qu'il veut boire de l'eau. |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | Ne t'en fais pas Mike, je pense que celle-ci est meilleure. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Attends, il y a un autre site qui dit... |
| What's the reason for the cancellation this time? | Pourquoi annuler à ce moment-ci? |