







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 | |
|---|---|
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | Oh, mon Dieu, c'est la deuxième chose que je déteste faire dans la cuisine! |
| Are they older or younger? | Sont-elles plus ou moins jeunes que toi? |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | Peux-tu me montrer quels habits je dois déplacer ? |
| That's where Diego works, too! | C'est là où travaille Diégo aussi! |
| By the way, the deposit is £3,000 and non-negotiable... | Au fait, l'acompte est de 3000£ et c'est non-négociable... |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | Dans la recette, il est dit 600g. |
| Do you remember the pub's name? | Souvenez-vous du nom du pub ? |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm... Je pense que c'est périmé. |
| As they say, time is the best medicine. | Comme ils disent, le temps est le meilleur des médicaments. |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Ah bon? Je ne sais pas... Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Merci, mais je n'ai pas le temps de rester. |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | N'est-ce pas tout simplement une annulation de rendez-vous? |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Es-tu sûre qu'elle vient d'Australie ? |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalement, il est bien plus cher que les autres. |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | Oh, désolée! Tu n'aimes pas nettoyer les choses, je peux le faire. |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Ce n'est pas une chose à dire à une femme... |
| This is my boyfriend, Mike. | C'est mon petit ami, Mike. |
| He is the bartender. | C'est le barman. |
| I'm really sorry to hear that, mate! | Je suis désolé d'entendre ça l'ami! |
| What do you think, dear, do you like it, too? | Qu'est-ce que que tu en penses chéri, tu l'aimes bien aussi? |