







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 hope it's not the right address! It looks awful. | J'espère que ce n'est pas la bonne adresse! Elle a l'air moche. |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | Ok, je l'ai trouvé... mais elle a l'air sale! |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Parce que je ne veux pas perdre plus de temps à chercher une nouvelle maison... |
| He is fine. | Il va bien. |
| Set times always stress me out. | Les temps prédéfinis me stressent toujours. |
| Where is your school, is it in central London? | Où se trouve ton école, au centre de Londre? |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Ouais, mais la chambre est carrée et il n'y a que quatre meubles principaux dedans. |
| It's usually at the top right of your screen. | C'est habituellement en haut à gauche de votre écran. |
| That's fine, I'm almost ready. | Tout va bien, je suis presque prête. |
| I guess so, but I want to finish seeing all the houses today. | J'ai l'impression, mais je veux finir de visiter toutes les maisons aujourd'hui. |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | C'est un de mes meilleurs amis, malheureusement. |
| Hope to see you later. | En espérant vous revoir. |
| Here you can take it, be careful, it's very hot. | Tiens, tu peux le prendre, attantion, il est très chaud. |
| What do you do? | Que faites-vous ? |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Tu parles de ce gars avec la barbe ? |
| I usually take the train. | Je prends généralement le train. |
| And the buses always arrive on time. | Et les bus arrivent toujours à l'heure. |
| 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. |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | Salut les gars, c'est possible de faire moins de bruit? |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Regarde sur l'étagère, le prix indique 2.20 livres le kilo. |