







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'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | Je l'appelle maintenant alors, tu as besoin de quelque chose? |
| What's the reason for the cancellation this time? | Pourquoi annuler à ce moment-ci? |
| How is your cat? | Comment va votre chat ? |
| Are you close friends? | Etes-vous des amis proches ? |
| The rice section is over there. | Le rayon des riz est ici. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Quelle sorte de ruse est-ce ? |
| Do you remember me? | Vous vous souvenez de moi ? |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Tu sais, certaines personnes n'aiment pas poster leurs publicités sur Internet. |
| 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. |
| Why is that rice so special? | En quoi ce riz est-il si spécial? |
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | Est-ce Leicester Square ou Piccadilly Circus ? |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | C'est bien, qu'est-ce que tu cuisines habituellement? |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | Salut, je suis désolée chéri, je suis un peu en retard. |
| It's too fruity. | Il est trop fruité. |
| What genre do you listen to? | Quel genre de musique écoutes-tu ? |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | Oui, je veux voir la salle de bains... |
| A flat is not a good idea for Bear, it doesn't have a garden. | Un appartement n'est pas une bonne idée pour Bear, il n'a pas de jardin. |
| Why is that? | Et pourquoi? |
| Do you want me to put it in the bin? | Tu veux que je la jette à la poubelle? |