







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 | |
|---|---|
| Can you please not forget to take some poo bags with you! | N'oublie pas de prendre des sacs à crotte avec toi! |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Merci de me le proposer chéri. |
| No, it's not okay, I'm screwed now! | Non, tout va mal, je suis coincé maintenant! |
| I'm sorry guys, there is no negotiation on the rent! | Désolé les gars mais il n'y a pas de négociation sur le loyer! |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo haït toujours venir chez le vétérinaire, ceci dit ! |
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | La chambre est spacieuse et le lit a l'air confortable! |
| Nothing, 'cause I don't know what the woman looks like. | Rien, puisque je ne sais à quoi elle ressemble. |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Ouais, c'est un grand pays, c'est plus un contient. |
| Can your mum handle the situation by herself? | Ta mère peut-elle gérer la situation toute seule? |
| Eating leftovers during the week saves me some time. | Manger des restes pendant la semaine me fait gagner du temps. |
| Can you stop acting like I always ask for money? | Est-ce que tu peux arrêter d'agir comme-si j'allais toujours te demander de l'argent ? |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | Et, au rez de chaussé, on a un accès facile au jardin. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Tu veux que je mette le poulet dans la cocotte? |
| Bacon and eggs with some olives is enough for me. | Du bacon, des oeufs et quelques olives me suffisent. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Pourquoi? Il a l'air plutôt propre! |
| Why do you think it's weird? | Pourquoi penses-tu que c'est bizarre ? |
| I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, so I have no plan. | Je ne m'attendais pas à ce que quelque chose comme ça arrive, j'ai pas de plan. |
| What's your favourite movie? | Quel est ton film préféré ? |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | J'aime les musique de Jamiroquai, mais pas toutes d'entre elles. |