







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 | |
|---|---|
| Why is that? | Et pourquoi? |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | Heu, j'aime la pop, le rock et le funk. |
| Calm down dear, I don't think he realises what he says. | Calme toi chéri, je ne pense pas qu'il se rend compte de ce qu'il dit. |
| Plus the bathroom and the kitchen are clean. | En plus, la cuisine et la salle de bain sont propres. |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Heu... Je sais que je ronfle occasionnellement, je le fais tous les jours ? |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Bref, les conditions du vol sont un peu compliquées. |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Je n'avais jamais été là-bas auparavant, où est-ce que c'est ? |
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Désolé, la ligne est très mauvaise! |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | Tu veux que je coupe les champignons pour toi? |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | On a besoin de changer d'avion à un moment donné. |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Les filles, voici Diego. |
| It's too fruity. | Il est trop fruité. |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Je n'aime pas la violence dans la vraie vie, je l'aime uniquement dans les films. |
| I hope it's not related to me! | J'espère que ça ne me concerne pas! |
| How many people live in this house? | Combien de personnes vivent ici? |
| Which appointment? Do you mean the house in Angel? | Quel rendez-vous? Tu veux dire la maison à Angel? |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | On dirait que Pogo veut aller dans le jardin. |
| What genre do you listen to? | Quel genre de musique écoutes-tu ? |
| Yes, I'm here waiting for good news. | Oui, je suis là entrain d'attendre de bonnes nouvelles. |
| So 2017 minus 1841 equals... | Donc 2017 moins 1841, ça fait... |