







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 | |
|---|---|
| I'm really sorry to hear that, mate! | Je suis désolé d'entendre ça l'ami! |
| Nope, I don't cook fancy things, only regular dishes. | Non, je ne prépare rien d'extravagant, seulement des plats basiques. |
| Then you can decide if I'm a good cook or not! | Tu pourras voir si je suis un bon cuisinier ou pas! |
| 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! |
| Is there any other cat around? | Il y en a un autre ici? |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Je veux dire, tu prépares de la nouriture Asiatique ou d'autres pays? |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | En fait, c'est très urgent. |
| It's about a web project. | C'est à propos d'un projet web. |
| I usually take the train. | Je prends généralement le train. |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Oui, je t'entends, mais je ne comprends pas! |
| I mostly cook meat, fish and chicken dishes. | J'ai l'habitude de préparer des plats à base de viande, poison et volaille. |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Ok, je n'aime pas cuisiner mais j'aime goûter la nouriture. |
| It's like, the bus you are waiting for never comes. | C'est comme quand le bus que vous attendez n'arrive jamais. |
| Which appointment? Do you mean the house in Angel? | Quel rendez-vous? Tu veux dire la maison à Angel? |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Ah bon? Je ne sais pas... Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | C'est bien, qu'est-ce que tu cuisines habituellement? |
| I don't need to wake up very early. | Je ne dois pas me lever très tôt. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Pourquoi? Il a l'air plutôt propre! |
| Do you have another one? | Tu en as une autre? |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Ça aurait pu être sa mère... Qui sait? |