







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 | |
|---|---|
| I think the price is very cheap. | Je pense que le prix est vraiment bas. |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Comment va ta mère, a-t-elle des problèmes de santé? |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Peu importe, je dois aller au petit coin également... |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | Et à quoi ressemble un professeur d'anglais ? |
| Yes, of course I remember. | Oui, bien sûr que je me souviens. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Est-ce que t'as bien vérifié, on en a aucun? |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | C'est bien, visiter trois maisons en un jour c'est pas mal. |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Parce que je sûre qu'ils ne servent pas d'insectes à Londres ! |
| Here we go, I'm sure it means they pay much less. | Nous y voilà, je suis sûr qu'ils payent moins. |
| I guess mine is older than yours! | Je pense que le mien est plus vieux que le tiens ! |
| Hang on a minute, they are both 300 gr and the same brand. | Attends une minute, ils pèsent tous les deux 300gr et sont de la même marque. |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Tout d'abord, c'est vraiment triste ce voir que votre animal souffre. |
| Why do you think it's weird? | Pourquoi penses-tu que c'est bizarre ? |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | C'est un de mes meilleurs amis, malheureusement. |
| Is the first one washing the dishes or cleaning? | Et la première c'est laver la vaiselle et nettoyer? |
| Hope to see you later. | En espérant vous revoir. |
| Can I get you some more drinks? | Voulez-vous que je rafraîchisse vos boissons tout d'abord monsieur? |
| So I don't snore everyday... | Donc je n'ai pas ronflé tous les jours... |
| What line is it on? | Quelle ligne il y a-t-il dessus ? |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Je ne peux pas l'appeler en ce moment, son téléphone n'est pas joignable. |