







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 | |
|---|---|
| You are very funny mate. | T'es très drôle gars. |
| When I have free time. | Quand j'ai du temps libre. |
| Okay, so what's our plan now? | D'accord, qu'est-ce qu'on fait? |
| He is fine. | Il va bien. |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Uhm, à cet étage, il n'y a que moi et la fille Française d'à côté. |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | Je pense que tu as besoin de changer de plan de cuisson, maintenant! |
| Maybe I get a bit moody on the first day of my period. | Peut être que je suis d'humeur changeante le premier jour de mes règles. |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | J'aimerais y aller, le jour où ils inventent la téléportation. |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Bien sûr, notre cuisine a récemment été fournie... |
| Do you have a cigarette? | Tu as une cigarette ? |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | Et à quoi ressemble un professeur d'anglais ? |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | On dirait que tu as de l'expérience avec le café. |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Merci de me le proposer chéri. |
| Do you have any area in mind? | As-tu une idée en tête ? |
| Does that help you to believe me? | Est-ce que ça t'aide à me croire? |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | A l'étage, il y a Diégo et un couple Britannique à côté. |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalement, il est bien plus cher que les autres. |
| 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. |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | Je ne veux plus parler de ce problème dans cette maison. |
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | Ouais, elle est née en Australie, mais sa mère est japonaise. |