







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 | |
|---|---|
| Sometimes he doesn't even recognize my mum. | Parfois, il ne reconnaît même pas ma mère. |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | C'est une fissure dans la baignoire? |
| Are they older or younger? | Sont-elles plus ou moins jeunes que toi? |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | Et Pogo a très peur à cause de la foule et du bruit. |
| She is doing well, we have 3 months left to go. | Elle se débrouille très bien, on doit encore attendre 3 mois. |
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | Et bien, je n'y arrive pas, je pense que ça fait bien plus que 150 ans. |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Tu sais, certaines personnes n'aiment pas poster leurs publicités sur Internet. |
| Do you remember the pub's name? | Souvenez-vous du nom du pub ? |
| I think that *hand caught on fire* thing is a joke! | Je pense que *la main qui prend feu* est une blague ! |
| I really don't want to see her again! | Je n'ai pas vraiment envie de la voir de nouveau! |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | Salut, je suis désolée chéri, je suis un peu en retard. |
| That's nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | C'est joli, j'aime la musique et les paroles. |
| We're out tonight for Laura. | Nous sortons ce soir pour Laura. |
| I hope it's not the right address! It looks awful. | J'espère que ce n'est pas la bonne adresse! Elle a l'air moche. |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | Ouais, notre chambre n'a qu'une fenêtre! |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | Cette chambre est simple, j'en veux une double. |
| My sisters live nearby, they help her sometimes. | Mes sœurs habitent pas loin, elles l'aident de temps en temps. |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Parce que d'autres personnes se plaignent de moi fumant là-bas. |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | Est-ce qu'on a du pain à toaster? |
| Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | Salut Cate ! Tu as besoin de quelque chose ? |