







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 don't want to stay in this house anymore! | Je ne veux plus rester dans cette maison! |
| I prefer red onions. | Je préfère les oignons rouges. |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo haït toujours venir chez le vétérinaire, ceci dit ! |
| No, we drain pasta with a grater. | Non, on égoutte nos pâtes avec une râpe. |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Bien sûr, mon nom est Cate et mon numéro est le 077... |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Je crois qu'il y a une chambre vide à l'étage en ce moment. |
| Well, not really! I don't like cooking much. | Eh bien, pas vraiment! Je n'aime pas cuisiner tant que ça. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Bien sûr, voici la salle de bains. |
| No, they live in Australia. | Non, ils habitent en Australie. |
| I guess I can meet you there at 20:30, or is it too late? | Je pense qu'on peut se voir là-bas vers 20h30, ou est-ce trop tard ? |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | J'aime les musique de Jamiroquai, mais pas toutes d'entre elles. |
| 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. |
| Thank you again for giving me your turn. | Merci encore de m'avoir fait passé avant vous. |
| Unfortunately, I don't have one! Where is yours? | Malheureusement, je n'en ai aucune ! Où est la tienne ? |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Merci, à Samedi 13h alors. |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Russie t'as dit? C'est assez inhabituel! |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Donc, tu viens d'Australie si je ne m'abuse. |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | Et, maintenant, il nous reste plein de champignons à utiliser. |
| Hi, I don't think it's broken. | Bonjour, je ne pense pas qu’elle soit cassée. |
| 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. |