







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 | |
|---|---|
| Eating leftovers during the week saves me some time. | Manger des restes pendant la semaine me fait gagner du temps. |
| How old are you? | Quel âge avez-vous ? |
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | Oui, c'est une bonne idée! |
| Yeah, I wonder if we share the same taste in movies! | Ouais, je me demande si on partage les mêmes goûts en matière de films ! |
| Let's calculate, I pay 135 per week for one person... | On n'a qu'à calculer, je paye 135 par semaine pour une personne... |
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | Y a-t-il des frites ou quelque chose à grignotter ? |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Hum... Alors que tes mains sont encore sales... |
| 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? |
| It's almost 09:30. | Il est presque 09:30. |
| I was just joking, how are you? | Je plaisantais, comment allez-vous ? |
| So it comes to 2,800 a month! | Donc cela revient à 2800 par mois ! |
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Désolé, la ligne est très mauvaise! |
| Sure, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Bien sûr, mon nom est Cate et mon numéro est le 077... |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Je ne pense pas qu'il soit possible de trouver plus de configurations. |
| Is there a knife? | Il y a un couteau? |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Mais leur chambre fait presque le double de la nôtre! |
| It's got some water marks on it! | Il a des tâches d'eau! |
| Absolutely not, while you are working you smoke like a chimney. | Absolument pas, lorsque tu fumes, tu fumes comme une cheminée. |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | Bonjour madame, êtes vous toujours en ligne ? |
| No, but it's not good for him to take the stairs up and down everyday. | Non, mais monter et descendre les escaliers tous les jours n'est pas bon pour lui. |