







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 | |
|---|---|
| Sorry, look, here is the station. | Désolé, regarde, c'est la gare. |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Je veux dire, tu prépares de la nouriture Asiatique ou d'autres pays? |
| Yes, he is totally fine after resting for a while. | Oui, il va très bien après s'être reposé pendant un certain temps. |
| Do you like them with or without the skin on? | Tu les veux avec ou sans la peau? |
| We are back, where is Bear? | Nous somme de retour, où est Bear? |
| Sure! Why is it so important to you? | Bien sûr ! Pourquoi c'est si important? |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Je suis désolé, je ne suis pas doué pour me souvenir des noms! |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Je travaille souvent jusqu'à très tard le soir, je ne me révéille jamais à 7 heures du matin. |
| Oh my god! It’s almost 12 o’clock. | Oh mon dieu ! il est presque 12 heures. |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | Mais, la pub dit que la maison à tout le mobilier qu'il faut! |
| I can't imagine myself being on a plane for that long! | Je n'arrive pas à m'imaginer dans un avion aussi longtemps! |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh vas te faire f*utre, je dois partir... |
| How much garlic do you want? | Quelle quantité d'ail veux-tu ? |
| Thank you, dear... For helping me to be a liar! | Merci, chéri... De m'avoir aidé à être une menteuse ! |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 degrés est le maximum! |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | C'est un de mes meilleurs amis, malheureusement. |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Pardon, ils ne servent pas de chips ici... |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Enfin, voici Cate et ses collègues de travail. |
| Bear hates being at a vet, too. | Bear aussi déteste aller chez le vétérinaire. |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | Ok, je l'ai trouvé... mais elle a l'air sale! |