







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 | |
|---|---|
| Except mosquitoes because they ruin my sleep. | Excepté les moustiques, parce qu'ils ruinent mon sommeil. |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Regarde, tu peux mieux admirer le coucher de soleil d'ici. |
| That's where Diego works, too! | C'est là où travaille Diégo aussi! |
| Why do you think it's weird? | Pourquoi penses-tu que c'est bizarre ? |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | Et ces derniers jours, je vais très souvent dans ce pub. |
| It won't change anything, but reminding me is stressing me out! | Non, ça ne va rien changer, mais me le rappeler me fait stresser! |
| Come on, Mike, it's not about me being home. | Allons, Mike, ça ne relève pas de moi à la maison. |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | Il est 4 heure et demi, on est donc pile à l'heure. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Bien sûr, voici la salle de bains. |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Alors je veux préparer autant à manger que possible. |
| I mostly cook meat, fish and chicken dishes. | J'ai l'habitude de préparer des plats à base de viande, poison et volaille. |
| A flat is not a good idea for Bear, it doesn't have a garden. | Un appartement n'est pas une bonne idée pour Bear, il n'a pas de jardin. |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Je suis heureux de l'entendre. |
| Let me check... when is best for you? | Laissez-moi vérifier... Quand est-ce le meilleur pour vous ? |
| 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. |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | Heu, j'aime la pop, le rock et le funk. |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Je n'ai pas envie que tu dépenses une fortune. |
| Hmm... Tomorrow is a bank holiday. | Hum... demain est un jour férié. |
| Why don't you get it then? Do you want to see upstairs or not? | Pourquoi ne la prenez-vous pas alors? Vous voulez voir l'étage ou non? |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Mais tout le monde l'appelle Rocco. |