







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 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. |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | Les propriétaires sont un couple gay. |
| No, because she is mental and can harm Pogo or Bear! | Non, parce qu'elle est folle et qu'elle peut faire du mal à Pogo ou Bear ! |
| I don't want to stay in this house anymore! | Je ne veux plus rester dans cette maison! |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Merci, à Samedi 13h alors. |
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | Oui, désolé, tout a l'air sale, mais crois-moi, c'est pas ma faute! |
| Are you with your friends? | Etes-vous avec vos amis ? |
| Let me check... when is best for you? | Laissez-moi vérifier... Quand est-ce le meilleur pour vous ? |
| There is nothing under 3,000 in Angel! | Il n'y a rien en dessous de 3000 à Angel ! |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Il doit être en train de dormir, il travaille souvent la nuit aussi. |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Parce que je sûre qu'ils ne servent pas d'insectes à Londres ! |
| There is no table for you, then! | Il n'y a donc pas de table pour toi ! |
| How much garlic do you want? | Quelle quantité d'ail veux-tu ? |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Il y a des distributeurs automatiques dans la gare. |
| Maybe she really is allergic to cats, we don't know that. | Peut-être qu'elle est vraiment allergique aux chats, on ne le sait pas. |
| What else do we need? | On a besoin de quoi d'autre? |
| Oh really? That's not good. | Oh, vraiment ? Ce n'est pas bien. |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | Peux-tu me montrer quels habits je dois déplacer ? |
| How are you? | Et vous ? |
| Yes it is, how are you? | Oui c'est moi, comment vas-tu? |