







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 | |
|---|---|
| But it has expired and it has a hole in it. | Mais il est périmé et a un trou sur son emballage. |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | J'aimerais y aller, le jour où ils inventent la téléportation. |
| Is that what you want me to do? | C'est ce que tu veux que je fasse? |
| How long does it usually take? | Combien de temps cela prend-t-il ? |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | Mais... Je suis mauvaise pour mentir... |
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | Tu veux que je te fasse un thé ou un café? |
| Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | On doit faire ça à chaque fois qu'on doit ouvrir la porte? |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Oui, le gars avec la barbe c'est bien Mike. |
| Do you have any sisters or brothers? | Tu as des frères ou des soeurs? |
| I want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Je voudrais essayer le Sauvignon Blanc. |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Tu parles de Rebecca et Cecilia ? |
| Is that what you want to do? | Est-ce ce que tu veux faire ? |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | Ça va? Tout va bien? |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | Mais Tesco est plus grand, ils ont une plus grande diversité de produits. |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Je ne sais pas vraiment et vous ? |
| Except mosquitoes because they ruin my sleep. | Excepté les moustiques, parce qu'ils ruinent mon sommeil. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Sortir Bear me prend généralement une heure. |
| The cat is not actually mine, it's my girlfriend's cat. | Le chat n'est pas à moi, c'est celui de ma petite ami. |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | C'est plus que suffisant, j'ai également besoin d'ail. |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Je n'ai pas réellement envie de les rejoindre. |