







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 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. |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | Espères-tu de moi que j'agrandisse la chambre en déplaçant les murs ? |
| What does Diego do? | Et que fait Diégo? |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Je suis heureux de l'entendre. |
| There is also some cheese, but it's a bit mouldy. | Il y a aussi du fromage mais il est un peu moisi. |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Exactement, donc penses-tu que les escargots sont des insectes ou non ? |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Ouais, je pense que le logo paraît bien mieux au centre, qu'en penses-tu ? |
| Is that you, Mike? | C'est toi, Mike? |
| That's so sad, how old are your parents? | C'est tellement triste, quel âge ont tes parents? |
| That's why you have a headache now! | C'est pour ça que tu as mal à la tête! |
| 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 ! |
| Okay, the grated one's 20% off today. | Okay, ce qui est en promotion a 20% de réduction aujourd'hui. |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | J'ai un rendez-vous au Ministère de l'Intérieur pour l'extension de mon visa? |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | J'ai besoin d'un fond de volaille pour le risotto! |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Laisse-moi vérifier, nous n'avons seulement besoin que de beurre. |
| Australia is very strict with its customs rules. | L' Australie est très stricte avec le respect des règles. |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | Donc c'est pas une histoire de divorce. |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | J'en vois beaucoup là où je travaille à vrai dire. |
| Do you want me to call Diego, then? | Tu veux que j'appelle Diégo alors? |
| Do you want me to wash the wine bottle before I pour it? | Tu veux que je lave la bouteille de vin avant de t'en verser? |