







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Tu veux que je mette le poulet dans la cocotte? |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Je n'ai aucune idée de ce que le riz arborio est! |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | Je pense que tu as besoin de changer de plan de cuisson, maintenant! |
| Come on, Mike, it's not about me being home. | Allons, Mike, ça ne relève pas de moi à la maison. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Sortir Bear me prend généralement une heure. |
| Okay, maybe it's better for you to have some rest. | Okay, peut-être que c'est mieux pour toi de prendre un peu de repos. |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | J'aime les musique de Jamiroquai, mais pas toutes d'entre elles. |
| What else could I do? Do you expect me not to sleep till I die? | Qu’aurais-je pu faire d'autre? Tu t'attends à ce que je ne dorme plus jusqu'à ce que je meure? |
| Is that right? | C'est cela ? |
| I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. | J'avais pour intention de domir un peu vu que c'est un jour férié. |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | On dirait que Pogo veut aller dans le jardin. |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | Et parfois, ils ne viennent pas à la maison pendant plusieurs jours. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Je ne savais pas, j'espère que ce n'est rien de trop sérieux. |
| How much garlic do you want? | Quelle quantité d'ail veux-tu ? |
| There is no table for you, then! | Il n'y a donc pas de table pour toi ! |
| Erm... They pay 170 weekly. | Erm... Ils payent 170 par semaine. |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | Il est 4 heure et demi, on est donc pile à l'heure. |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Oh, c'est pas mal d'argent! |
| Hi girls, this is Mike. | Les filles, je vous présente Mike. |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | On dirait qu'il n'y a personne à la maison! |