







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've checked some, there is nothing I like so far. | Oui, j'en ai regardé quelques unes, je n'ai rien pour l'instant. |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Salut, t'es prête? |
| Do you have another one? | Tu en as une autre? |
| I am, I have to be there at 12:30. | Si, je dois y être pour 12h30. |
| 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. |
| Bear is okay with cats, but definitely not with dogs. | Bear supporte tout à fait les chats, mais pas les chiens. |
| Yeah, he is keen on moving house... | Ouais, il est déterminé à quitter à la maison... |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Regarde, tu peux mieux admirer le coucher de soleil d'ici. |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Pardon, ils ne servent pas de chips ici... |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | Heu, j'aime la pop, le rock et le funk. |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Peu importe, je dois aller au petit coin également... |
| You are very funny mate. | T'es très drôle gars. |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Je suis désolé du malentendu. |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | Il y en a plein d'autres, mais je pense que gumtree.com est le meilleur. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Je suis bien, et toi? |
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | Au fait, j'aime la couleur des murs... Qu'en penses-tu? |
| We're out tonight for Laura. | Nous sortons ce soir pour Laura. |
| What’s their name? | Comment s'appelle-t-il ? |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | Comment tu veux que je coupe les oignons, en gros ou en petit morceaux? |
| Do you have a cigarette? | Tu as une cigarette ? |