







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 | |
|---|---|
| Then I want to roast it, though. | Et après je vais le faire rôtir. |
| 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 ! |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | Euh, non, mais il y du pain qui appartient à quelqu'un d'autre. |
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | Il a 70 ans, et ma mère en a 64. |
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | C'est pas emprunter, c'est voler! |
| Normally, girls check the wine list for half an hour before they order. | Normalement, les filles regardent la liste de vins pendant une demie heure avant de commander quoi que ce soit. |
| You don’t look like an English teacher to me. | Vous ne ressemblez pas à un professeur d'anglais. |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Je ne sais pas vraiment et vous ? |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | Je pense que tu as besoin de changer de plan de cuisson, maintenant! |
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | Bien vu, je suis sûr qu'ils ne paient pas autant! |
| Yeah, I think it's a bit early to knock on someone's door! | Oui, il est un peu tôt pour toquer chez quelqu'un! |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Je n'ai pas réellement envie de les rejoindre. |
| Oh, okay, is there a problem with your house? | Ah, okay, il y a un problème avec votre maison? |
| Do you have any relatives in London? | Et tu as des proches à Londres? |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Il est difficile de trouver tous les produits manuellement dans les caisses automatiques |
| How dare he... He is so stupid!!! | Comment ose-t-il... Il est tellement stupide!!! |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo haït toujours venir chez le vétérinaire, ceci dit ! |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Bien sûr, notre cuisine a récemment été fournie... |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Je crois qu'il y a une chambre vide à l'étage en ce moment. |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | Ok, on dirait qu'il n'y a aucune agression entre eux. |