







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'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Je suis désolé, mais je dois annuler notre rendez-vous aujourd'hui. |
| The rice section is over there. | Le rayon des riz est ici. |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Je n'ai pas envie que tu dépenses une fortune. |
| Don't worry, we don't do it everyday. | Ne t'en fais pas, nous ne le faisons pas tous les jours. |
| Maybe I get a bit moody on the first day of my period. | Peut être que je suis d'humeur changeante le premier jour de mes règles. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Sortir Bear me prend généralement une heure. |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | Ouais, c'est un restaurant très populaire. |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Oui, le gars avec la barbe c'est bien Mike. |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Oui, je t'entends, mais je ne comprends pas! |
| As I said, it's much easier to open with two people. | Comme je l'avais dit, c'est plus facile de l'ouvrir à deux. |
| Do you have their number? | As-tu leur numéro ? |
| Do you want me to wash the wine bottle before I pour it? | Tu veux que je lave la bouteille de vin avant de t'en verser? |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | J'ai une soeur, elle a dix-neuf ans. |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | Oui monsieur, vous pouvez vous asseoir à cette table. |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | Est-ce que ça veut dire que tu ne veux plus rester avec moi? |
| 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... |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | Eh bien, je ne pense pas qu'on a besoin de préparer plein de choses à la fois. |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | On dirait que Pogo veut aller dans le jardin. |
| Sorry, I hope it doesn't ruin your childhood memories... | Pardon, J'espère que ça ne ruine pas tes souvenirs d'enfance... |
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | Oui, c'est une bonne idée! |