







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 | |
|---|---|
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Mais tout le monde l'appelle Rocco. |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Bonjour, quel race de chien avez-vous ? |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | C'est vrai, on devrait jamais oublier à quel point mes colocataires sont irresponsables. |
| Umm, oh yes, I can see it now, the ad number is 9845... | Heu, oh oui, je peux le voir maintenant, le numéro d'annonce est le 9845... |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Je suis désolé du malentendu. |
| Hello, do you have a Tesco Clubcard sir? | Bonjour, avez-vous une carte de fidélité Tesco monsieur ? |
| Hi there, it's not Dick, it's Nick... Starts with N. | Salut, je ne m'appelle pas Dick, mais Nick, avec un N. |
| No, but it's not good for him to take the stairs up and down everyday. | Non, mais monter et descendre les escaliers tous les jours n'est pas bon pour lui. |
| It's a kind of welcoming party for her. | C'est un peu une fête de bienvenue pour elle. |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Pu**in, c'est qui à cette heure? |
| I'm an English teacher. | Je suis professeur d'anglais. |
| I'm unleashing him now, is that okay for you? | Je vais le lâcher, ça te va? |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Je suis désolé, je ne suis pas doué pour me souvenir des noms! |
| I'm sure it's where it always is. | Je suis sûr qu'elle est à sa place. |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Pardon, ils ne servent pas de chips ici... |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | C'est sur la Northern line, la même qu'on utilise ici. |
| I mean, you don't live here with anyone from your family. | Je veux dire, tu n'habites avec aucun membre de ta famille. |
| Isn't that funny? | C'est drôle, n'est-ce pas ? |
| I think so, he can look around while Bear is not here. | Je crois que ça ira, il peut faire le tour pendant que Bear n'est pas là. |
| I don't think it's hay fever! I believe it's from the cat... | Je ne penses pas que ce soit le rhume des foins! Je pense que ça vient du chat... |