







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 | |
|---|---|
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo est mon petit chat, y'a-t-il un problème? |
| Unfortunately, she is a teenager, she is 19! | Malheureusement, elle est une adolescente, elle a 19 ans ! |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Es-tu sûre qu'elle vient d'Australie ? |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | Tu dois appuyer sur le bouton et le tourner vers la droite. |
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | Bien, l'un d'eux est de 2800 mais les factures ne sont pas incluses... |
| Exactly, I hate getting woken up in the middle of the night! | Exactement, je déteste me faire réveiller en plein milieu de la nuit ! |
| I have no idea... But I hope they have a good excuse! | Je n'en ai aucune idée... Mais j'espère que cette personne a une bonne excuse! |
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Merci papa, où est la laisse de Bear? |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | On dirait un mélange entre l'accent Britannique et Australien. |
| Um, I don't feel like eating anything but fish today. | Et bien, je sens que je ne mangerai rien à part du poisson aujourd'hui. |
| You don’t look like an English teacher to me. | Vous ne ressemblez pas à un professeur d'anglais. |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Morrison n'est-il pas plus près? |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Est-ce que quelqu'un d'autre a besoin de quelque chose ? |
| They're there, under the duvet. | Ils sont là-bas, sous la couette. |
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Oui, Bear mange un chat et demi par jour pour son petit déjeuner. |
| I mean, you don't live here with anyone from your family. | Je veux dire, tu n'habites avec aucun membre de ta famille. |
| Good thanks, I'm fine, too. | Merci, je vais bien aussi. |
| Of course, 2 tomatoes are enough, I think. | Bien sûr, 2 tomates sont suffisantes je crois. |
| But I don't know him well. | Mais je ne le connais pas très bien. |
| I really don't know, but I believe it's more than 100 years old. | Je ne sais vraiment pas, mais je crois qu'elle a plus de 100 ans. |