







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Oui, Bear mange un chat et demi par jour pour son petit déjeuner. |
| There is no table for you, then! | Il n'y a donc pas de table pour toi ! |
| Of course, oh, there is a half-eaten pizza in the oven. | Bien sûr, il y a une pizza a moitié mangée dedans. |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Je n'ai pas réellement envie de les rejoindre. |
| Of course! It's my favourite pub. | Bien sûr ! C'est mon pub préféré. |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalement, il est bien plus cher que les autres. |
| I want to be sober and energetic for tomorrow. | Je veux être sobre et en forme pour demain. |
| Do you need to wake up early tomorrow or something? | Vous devez vous lever tôt demain ? |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Il y a des distributeurs automatiques dans la gare. |
| Is it because of the cost, or another reason? | Est-ce que c'est à cause du prix, ou est-ce une autre raison? |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | Et parfois, ils ne viennent pas à la maison pendant plusieurs jours. |
| What does Diego do? | Et que fait Diégo? |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | Ma barbe me rend plus vieux, je pense. |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | Bonjour madame, êtes vous toujours en ligne ? |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Et nous avons à peser tout par nous même, etcetera. |
| You are absolutely right! | Vous avez absolument raison ! |
| Does that help you to believe me? | Est-ce que ça t'aide à me croire? |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Allez-vous souvent au Moulin à Vent ? |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Merci, ouais, comme je l'ai dit, Carmen est en zone 2... |
| Yes, I like them, too. | Oui, je les aime aussi. |