







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 | |
|---|---|
| Then people come and complain to me! | Et les gens viennent se plaindre! |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Pu**in, c'est qui à cette heure? |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | Et, au rez de chaussé, on a un accès facile au jardin. |
| We all love bank holidays. | Nous adorons les jours fériés. |
| You are absolutely right! | Vous avez absolument raison ! |
| I hope you are aware it's your last 3 days to find a house... | J'espère que tu es au courant qu'il te reste trois jours pour trouver une maison... |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | Peu importe, que nous reste-t-il à faire désormais ? |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Peu-être qu'ils préfèrent mettres des plaques électriques dans les colocations pour des raisons de sécurité. |
| I think so, at least there is no aggression. | Je pense, au moins il n'y a pas d'agression. |
| Set times always stress me out. | Les temps prédéfinis me stressent toujours. |
| That's very interesting! | C’est très intéressant ! |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, c'est incroyable, elle est à toi? |
| I hope he gets well soon. | J'espère qu'il récupérera rapidement. |
| Why is that? | Et pourquoi? |
| Cate, are you okay? You seem a little bit aggressive. | Cate, ça va? Tu as l'air un peu aggressive. |
| Unfortunately, she is a teenager, she is 19! | Malheureusement, elle est une adolescente, elle a 19 ans ! |
| Well, I hope he doesn't keep on pooping all around the house! | Bien, j'espère qu'il ne fera pas caca partout dans la maison! |
| They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | Ils ne travaillent généralement pas après dix heures. |
| But I don't think I can use them all, there are too many! | Mais je ne pense pas pouvoir tous les utiliser, il y en a trop! |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Merci, à Samedi 13h alors. |