







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 | |
|---|---|
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Euh, c'est le gestionnaire marketing de l'entreprise. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Quelle sorte de ruse est-ce ? |
| It says best before 25th of February. | Il est indiqué au mieux avant le 25 Février. |
| No, she is a uni student in Russia. | Non, elle est étudiante à l'université en Russie. |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | Je peux cuisiner, bien sûr, mais seulement quand j'en ai envie. |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Je n'ai aucune idée de ce que le riz arborio est! |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Il est difficile de trouver tous les produits manuellement dans les caisses automatiques |
| Okay, we have all the things we need, then. | Ok, on a tout ce qu'il nous faut alors. |
| So 2017 minus 1841 equals... | Donc 2017 moins 1841, ça fait... |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | Ça craint, tu as un rhume? |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Merci de me le proposer chéri. |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | Ok, je l'ai trouvé... mais elle a l'air sale! |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | Dans la recette, il est dit 600g. |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Je pense qu'il veut boire de l'eau. |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Vraiment ? Je n'ai pas envie de ruiner ton plan, mais... |
| You are lucky! | Tant mieux ! |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | Heu... Nous sommes mariés... Je veux dire, aujourd'hui c'est l'anniversaire de notre mariage ! |
| As they say, time is the best medicine. | Comme ils disent, le temps est le meilleur des médicaments. |
| It's always the same. | C'est toujours pareil. |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, c'est incroyable, elle est à toi? |