







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, I don't have one! | Non, j'en ai pas! |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | Ça va? Tout va bien? |
| Normally, girls check the wine list for half an hour before they order. | Normalement, les filles regardent la liste de vins pendant une demie heure avant de commander quoi que ce soit. |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Oui, le gars avec la barbe c'est bien Mike. |
| Those kind of irresponsible people make me angry! | Ce genre de personnes irresponsables m'énervent! |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | Le chat de qui?... Tu veux dire mon chat? |
| Yeah, I guess spring is the worst time for allergies! | Ouais, on dirait que le printemps est le pire moment pour avoir des allergies! |
| Yes, my number is 0773***0282. | Oui, mon numéro est 0773***0282. |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | Mais parfois, je me sens coupable de ne pas être là! |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | J'ai une soeur, elle a dix-neuf ans. |
| Is it because it's too violent? | Est-ce parce que c'est trop violent ? |
| Erm... They pay 170 weekly. | Erm... Ils payent 170 par semaine. |
| Don't worry, I don't like having a very heavy breakfast. | Ne t'inquiête pas, je n'aime pas prendre de lourds petits déjeuners. |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | Il s'agit d'un bon choix, ils font du bon calamar ici aussi. |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Peut-être qu'ils se séparent, je ne sais pas encore. |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | Est-ce qu'on a du pain à toaster? |
| That's why they're 50% off. | C'est pourquoi ils ont 50% de réduction. |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Oui, tu veux dire, des tricycles? |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | C'est un de mes meilleurs amis, malheureusement. |
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | C'est pas emprunter, c'est voler! |