







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 | |
|---|---|
| And the buses always arrive on time. | Et les bus arrivent toujours à l'heure. |
| For the risotto, I need some arborio rice. | Pour le risotto, j'ai besoin de riz arborio. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Bien sûr, voici la salle de bains. |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | Si tu veux me demander de l'argent, je n'en ai pas non plus. |
| How old are you? | Quel âge avez-vous ? |
| How much rice do you need? | Quelle quantité de riz as-tu besoin? |
| Is it possible to move in tomorrow? | C'est possible d'emménager demain? |
| Diego, do you want me to get you anything to eat? | Diego, tu veux que je te rapporte quelque chose à manger ? |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | C'est individuellement, les petits coûtent 30p et les grand coûtent 50p. |
| Aren't there four of us dear? | Il n'y a-t-il pas quatre d'entre nous chéri ? |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Je n'avais jamais été là-bas auparavant, où est-ce que c'est ? |
| It's the second one from the top. | C'est le deuxième en partant du haut. |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Salut, t'es prête? |
| I'm sorry to say that no pets are allowed in the house! | Je suis désolé de vous dire qu'aucun n'animal n'est autorisé dans la maison! |
| Do your parents live in London, too? | Tes parents vivent à Londres aussi? |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | Et Pogo a très peur à cause de la foule et du bruit. |
| So it comes to 2,800 a month! | Donc cela revient à 2800 par mois ! |
| Why don't we pay 100 more each, and get a house in Mayfair? | Pourquoi payerions-nous pas 100 de plus chacun et avoir une maison à Mayfair ? |
| They weigh everything at the checkout. | Ils pèsent tout à la caisse. |
| Hi, I don't think it's broken. | Bonjour, je ne pense pas qu’elle soit cassée. |