







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 | |
|---|---|
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Vraiment ? Comment fais-je pour te réveiller ? |
| My favourite movie is Pulp Fiction. | Mon film favori est Pulp Fiction. |
| You can just stay with me, until you find somewhere to live. | Tu peux rester avec moi jusqu'à ce que tu trouves où aller. |
| There is one at 11:00 and the next one is at 11:20. | Il y en a un à 11:00 et le prochain à 11:20. |
| 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. |
| I wish you all the best. | Je vous souhaite tout le meilleur. |
| For the risotto, I need some arborio rice. | Pour le risotto, j'ai besoin de riz arborio. |
| You are so realistic dear, where is your wedding ring? | Tu es tellement réaliste chérie, où est ta bague de fiançailles ? |
| Is the first one washing the dishes or cleaning? | Et la première c'est laver la vaiselle et nettoyer? |
| 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 |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | Non, j'ai de mauvaises allergies. |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Uhm, à cet étage, il n'y a que moi et la fille Française d'à côté. |
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Merci, mais je n'ai pas le temps de rester. |
| I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, so I have no plan. | Je ne m'attendais pas à ce que quelque chose comme ça arrive, j'ai pas de plan. |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Je n'ai pas envie que tu dépenses une fortune. |
| She is doing well, we have 3 months left to go. | Elle se débrouille très bien, on doit encore attendre 3 mois. |
| Yeah, I think killing mosquitoes is fair. | Ouais, je pense que tuer les moustiques est correct. |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Pas de panique, je ne suis pas avec Mike. |
| Is it because it's too violent? | Est-ce parce que c'est trop violent ? |
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | C'est sympa, les placards on l'air bien, le banc est correct... |