







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Salut mon ami, comment vas-tu? |
| What kind of music do you like the most? | Quel type de musique aimes-tu le plus ? |
| How is it my fault? | Comment ça c'est de ma faute ? |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, c'est incroyable, elle est à toi? |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | Le reste de la maison est ok, mais la cuisine est un peu salle. |
| No, they live in Australia. | Non, ils habitent en Australie. |
| I hope she is not a problematic one, then... | J'espère donc qu'elle n'en est pas une qui soit problématique... |
| Don't worry, I don't like having a very heavy breakfast. | Ne t'inquiête pas, je n'aime pas prendre de lourds petits déjeuners. |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | L'autre est à 3000, mais cela inclut les factures. |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Tu veux que je mette le poulet dans la cocotte? |
| Is there anything else you want me to do? | Tu veux que je fasse autre chose? |
| No, but I definitely don't want to live in that house anymore! | Non, mais je ne veux plus du tout vivre dans cette maison ! |
| I think you wake me up more often than mosquitoes do! | Je pense que tu me réveilles plus souvent que les moustiques ! |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | Il y a un robot dans le corps d'un enfant, mais il ne sait pas que c'est un robot. |
| Erm... You look about 30? | Hum... Peut-être 30 ans ? |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | Ma barbe me rend plus vieux, je pense. |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | Je pense qu'on devrait attendre jusqu'à ce que cette fumée disparaisse. |
| Who knows, I consider it as nothing more than a hobby. | Qui sait? Je pense plus qu'il s'agit d'un hobby. |
| It's all your fault! I feel so embarrassed now... | C'est entièrement de ta faute ! Je me sens tellement embarrassée maintenant... |
| 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. |