







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 | |
|---|---|
| Erm, sorry, but I think you have the wrong Mike... | Euh, désolé, mais je pense que vous vous êtes trompés de Mike... |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Je ne sais pas vraiment et vous ? |
| Hey, there is a stranger in the toilet, who is he? | Hé, il y a un inconnu dans les toilettes, c'est qui? |
| Do you want me to call them? | Tu veux que je les appelle ? |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Merde ! Il est déjà 22:30 ! |
| It's usually at the top right of your screen. | C'est habituellement en haut à gauche de votre écran. |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | Je ne veux plus parler de ce problème dans cette maison. |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Ah bon? Je ne sais pas... Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
| 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. |
| I think I did, too, but I've got a really bad headache! | Je crois que j'ai bien dormi aussi, mais j'ai un très mauvais mal de tête! |
| Ah, I can't eat the breast, it's too dry for me! | Ah, je ne peux pas manger de blanc, c'est bien trop sec pour moi! |
| Why did you ask, do you want me to boil it? | Pourquoi tu demandes, tu veux que je le fasse bouillir? |
| That's very interesting! | C’est très intéressant ! |
| That's right, I think pressure cookers are quite dangerous, too! | C'est vrai, je pense que les cocottes minutes sont dangeureuses aussi! |
| 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. |
| Hey, the water is boiling, do you want me to pour it into a pot? | Hé, l'eau bout, tu veux que je la verse dans une casserole? |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | Non, j'ai de mauvaises allergies. |
| I think 4000 quid is big enough. | Je crois que 4000 livres c'est déjà pas mal. |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | Heu, tu pourrais leur dire que c'est notre anniversaire de mariage. |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Parce que je ne veux pas perdre plus de temps à chercher une nouvelle maison... |