







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 | |
|---|---|
| Of course, 2 tomatoes are enough, I think. | Bien sûr, 2 tomates sont suffisantes je crois. |
| My sisters live nearby, they help her sometimes. | Mes sœurs habitent pas loin, elles l'aident de temps en temps. |
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | Et puis, les vétérinaires sont si chers ! |
| 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! |
| Are you close friends? | Etes-vous des amis proches ? |
| Yes, there are some knives, too. | Oui, il y en a aussi. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Alors je veux préparer autant à manger que possible. |
| Hello mate, where are you? | Salut gars, t'es où? |
| I like the seafood restaurants there. | J'aime les restaurants de crustacés là-bas. |
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | Il a 70 ans, et ma mère en a 64. |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | Est-ce qu'on a du pain à toaster? |
| Also, he has got a very lovely, cute dog. | Il possède aussi un adorable chien. |
| How is your cat? | Comment va votre chat ? |
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | C'est sympa, les placards on l'air bien, le banc est correct... |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Oui, c'est clair, mais le tien n'est pas si flagrant. |
| I don't want to live in the suburbs! | Je n'ai pas envie d'habiter en banlieue ! |
| Yes, I like them, too. | Oui, je les aime aussi. |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Je suis désolé, mais je dois annuler notre rendez-vous aujourd'hui. |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Pu**in, c'est qui à cette heure? |