







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is your father sick? | Ton père est-il malade? |
| I took Bear out and I'm just about to leave. | J'ai pris Bear et je suis sur le point de partir. |
| Yeah, it's open here already... | Ouais, c'est déjà ouvert ici... |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Mais tout le monde l'appelle Rocco. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Pourquoi? Il a l'air plutôt propre! |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | Cette chambre est simple, j'en veux une double. |
| Can your mum handle the situation by herself? | Ta mère peut-elle gérer la situation toute seule? |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Je ne peux pas l'appeler en ce moment, son téléphone n'est pas joignable. |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | J'aime les musique de Jamiroquai, mais pas toutes d'entre elles. |
| Good boy, Beary! See, he is just a little friend. | Bon garçon Beary! C'est juste ta petite amie. |
| But I don't know him well. | Mais je ne le connais pas très bien. |
| How is there four of us? | En quoi il y a-t-il quatre d'entre nous ? |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Il va plus vite, mais nous ne voulons pas marcher jusqu'à la station de métro. |
| Or worse, sometimes they throw a party at home! | Ou pire, parfois, ils font la fête à la maison! |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | Umm, c'est Dick ma chérie, le propriétaire... |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh, p*tain, c'est quoi ce robinet? |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Je ne pense pas qu'il soit possible de trouver plus de configurations. |
| Welcome to the Diamond Duck, do you have a reservation, sir? | Bienvenue au Diamond Duck , avez-vous une réservation, monsieur ? |
| Do you want me to put it in the bin? | Tu veux que je la jette à la poubelle? |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 degrés est le maximum! |