







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 | |
|---|---|
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | Bien vu, je suis sûr qu'ils ne paient pas autant! |
| Yeah, it's open here already... | Ouais, c'est déjà ouvert ici... |
| My sisters live nearby, they help her sometimes. | Mes sœurs habitent pas loin, elles l'aident de temps en temps. |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | J'aime les musique de Jamiroquai, mais pas toutes d'entre elles. |
| It's not much less... There is a slight difference! | C'est pas très loin de là... Il y a une infime différence! |
| I think I'm going to order some duck, it's delicious. | Je crois que je vais commander du canard, c'est délicieux. |
| Yes, that's the one. | Oui c'est celui-là. |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | C'est impossible pour moi de passer de la zone 9 à la zone 1 tous les jours. |
| There is nothing much left to do, there are only bits and pieces. | Il n'y a plus grand chose à faire, il n'y a que des trucs par-ci par-là. |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | Mike, le teriyaki c'est japonais, nous sommes dans un restaurant Chinois. |
| Shall we meet at the train station, or do you want me to pick you up from your house? | Rejoignons-nous à la station de train ou voulez-vous que je vienne vous chercher de chez vous ? |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | Ouais, je vous prendrais bien une bière, je suppose que tu veux du vin, Cate ? |
| I hope they are going to be here on time, too... I don't like waiting. | J'espère qu'ils seront à l'heure aussi,... je n'aime pas attendre. |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Elle est moitié japonaise, moitié australienne. |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh non ! Êtes-vous sûr qu'il n'y a rien d'autre de disponible ? |
| Hello dear, how is it going, do you need any help? | Salut chérie, comment ça va, t'as besoin d'aide ? |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Ouais, mais la chambre est carrée et il n'y a que quatre meubles principaux dedans. |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Regarde, tu peux mieux admirer le coucher de soleil d'ici. |
| How is there four of us? | En quoi il y a-t-il quatre d'entre nous ? |
| Okay, here we are, this is Honeybrook Street. | Okay, nous voilà, c'est Honeybrook Street. |