







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, it's the owner, she is an old lady and very strict about that. | Non, c'est la propriétaire, c'est une vieille dame et elle est très stricte à propos de ça. |
| We're out tonight for Laura. | Nous sortons ce soir pour Laura. |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Pas de panique Mike, comme je l'ai dit, il ne le fait que lorsqu'il est extrêmement stressé. |
| 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. |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | Comment tu veux que je coupe les oignons, en gros ou en petit morceaux? |
| Yes, he definitely doesn't like changing places. | Oui, il n'aime pas changer d'endroit. |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | Je suis désolé de ne pas avoir été là à l'inauguration. |
| I agree, long flights aren't very pleasant. | Je suis d'accord, les longs vols ne sont pas ma tasse de thé. |
| 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. |
| As they say, time is the best medicine. | Comme ils disent, le temps est le meilleur des médicaments. |
| You can just stay with me, until you find somewhere to live. | Tu peux rester avec moi jusqu'à ce que tu trouves où aller. |
| Sorry, madam, Friday is one of our busiest nights! | Pardon, madame, Vendredi est l'un des jours où ne sommes le plus occupés ! |
| Those kind of irresponsible people make me angry! | Ce genre de personnes irresponsables m'énervent! |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Ce n'est pas une chose à dire à une femme... |
| It's not much less... There is a slight difference! | C'est pas très loin de là... Il y a une infime différence! |
| Okay, so what's our plan now? | D'accord, qu'est-ce qu'on fait? |
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | Tu veux que je te fasse un thé ou un café? |
| 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. |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Donc, tu viens d'Australie si je ne m'abuse. |
| For the risotto, I need some arborio rice. | Pour le risotto, j'ai besoin de riz arborio. |