







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 want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Je voudrais essayer le Sauvignon Blanc. |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Ouais, d'habitude tu vas au travail vers 6h30. |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | On a besoin de changer d'avion à un moment donné. |
| I hate them buzzing around my ear all night long and waking me up. | Je déteste lorsque qu'ils volent autour de mes oreilles toute la nuit et lorsqu'ils me réveillent? |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Exactement, donc penses-tu que les escargots sont des insectes ou non ? |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | Mike, le teriyaki c'est japonais, nous sommes dans un restaurant Chinois. |
| Hmm... Tomorrow is a bank holiday. | Hum... demain est un jour férié. |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | C'est vrai, on devrait jamais oublier à quel point mes colocataires sont irresponsables. |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | Dans la recette, il est dit 600g. |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | Hé, qu'est-ce qui ss'est passé? Tout va bien? |
| So 2017 minus 1841 equals... | Donc 2017 moins 1841, ça fait... |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | Exactement, l'un d'entre eux nous demande 3500 et l'autre 3000... |
| Well, it's about a kid, I mean a robot. | Bien, c'est à propos d'un enfant, je veux dire robot. |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Est-ce que quelqu'un d'autre a besoin de quelque chose ? |
| I think so, he can look around while Bear is not here. | Je crois que ça ira, il peut faire le tour pendant que Bear n'est pas là. |
| I think 4000 quid is big enough. | Je crois que 4000 livres c'est déjà pas mal. |
| But I don't know him well. | Mais je ne le connais pas très bien. |
| How many people live in this house? | Combien de personnes vivent ici? |
| Do you know her well? | La connais-tu bien ? |
| Hey, before you go... | Hé, avant que tu ne partes... |