







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 | |
|---|---|
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | Tu peux demander ce que tu veux savoir. |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Oui, le gars avec la barbe c'est bien Mike. |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | C'est bien, visiter trois maisons en un jour c'est pas mal. |
| Eating leftovers during the week saves me some time. | Manger des restes pendant la semaine me fait gagner du temps. |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Peut-être qu'ils se séparent, je ne sais pas encore. |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Russie t'as dit? C'est assez inhabituel! |
| Hi girls, this is Mike. | Les filles, je vous présente Mike. |
| Can your mum handle the situation by herself? | Ta mère peut-elle gérer la situation toute seule? |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Ma réunion commence à une heure. |
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Merci, mais je n'ai pas le temps de rester. |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | En fait, c'est très urgent. |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Heu... Je sais que je ronfle occasionnellement, je le fais tous les jours ? |
| Yeah, I've got it! | Ouais, je l'ai! |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | Je l'ai finalement terminé et demain est un grand jour ! |
| That's why you have a headache now! | C'est pour ça que tu as mal à la tête! |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | Ne t'en fais pas Mike, je pense que celle-ci est meilleure. |
| It won't change anything, but reminding me is stressing me out! | Non, ça ne va rien changer, mais me le rappeler me fait stresser! |
| Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | On doit faire ça à chaque fois qu'on doit ouvrir la porte? |
| I don't want to stay in this house anymore! | Je ne veux plus rester dans cette maison! |
| Is that okay for you? | Ça te va? |