







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 | |
|---|---|
| It's not a nice thing to do. | C'est une bonne chose à faire. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Il est difficile de trouver tous les produits manuellement dans les caisses automatiques |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hé, quelle est la station la plus proche de China Town ? |
| Mike, it is a continent! | Mike, c'est un continent! |
| Cate, are you okay? You seem a little bit aggressive. | Cate, ça va? Tu as l'air un peu aggressive. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Bien sûr, voici la salle de bains. |
| That's why you have a headache now! | C'est pour ça que tu as mal à la tête! |
| You know, I usually have some early morning lessons. | Tu sais j'ai l'habitude de suivre des cours tôt le matin. |
| Do you want me to call them? | Tu veux que je les appelle ? |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | Et, maintenant, il nous reste plein de champignons à utiliser. |
| That's a good question! | C'est une bonne question ! |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Enfin, voici Cate et ses collègues de travail. |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Tu veux que je mette le poulet dans la cocotte? |
| I think Diego and I are the only smokers in the house. | Je pense que Diego et moi sommes les seuls fumeurs dans la maison. |
| 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. |
| A one year course? What kind of course is it? | Un cursus d'un an ? Quel genre de cursus est-ce ? |
| Hang on a minute, they are both 300 gr and the same brand. | Attends une minute, ils pèsent tous les deux 300gr et sont de la même marque. |
| Yes, of course I remember. | Oui, bien sûr que je me souviens. |
| Is she here with you? | Elle est avec toi? |
| No, but it's not good for him to take the stairs up and down everyday. | Non, mais monter et descendre les escaliers tous les jours n'est pas bon pour lui. |