







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you like red or white onions? | Tu préfères les oignons rouges ou blancs? |
| Is it big money? | C'est beaucoup d'argent? |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | Les gens emmènent les couverts dans leur chambre et ne les rapportent pas! |
| I don't want to live in the suburbs! | Je n'ai pas envie d'habiter en banlieue ! |
| Come on, Mike, it's not about me being home. | Allons, Mike, ça ne relève pas de moi à la maison. |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | On dirait que Pogo veut aller dans le jardin. |
| Do you have any area in mind? | As-tu une idée en tête ? |
| But I don't think I can use them all, there are too many! | Mais je ne pense pas pouvoir tous les utiliser, il y en a trop! |
| See you Mike, hope to see you again. | Merci Mike, en espérant te revoir. |
| Come on in, here on the ground floor, we have two bedrooms... | Entrez, au rez-de-chausse, on a deux chambres... |
| Why do you want to live there? | Pourquoi veux-tu vivre là-bas ? |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | On dirait un mélange entre l'accent Britannique et Australien. |
| Is there any other cat around? | Il y en a un autre ici? |
| I don't mind sitting outside as long as I'm not cold. | Ça me dérange pas de m'asseoir dehors, tant que je n'ai pas froid. |
| I'm a web designer. | Je suis web designer. |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Parce que je sûre qu'ils ne servent pas d'insectes à Londres ! |
| Thank you again for giving me your turn. | Merci encore de m'avoir fait passé avant vous. |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Très bien! J'espère qu'il ne le fait pas tout le temps! |
| You can just stay with me, until you find somewhere to live. | Tu peux rester avec moi jusqu'à ce que tu trouves où aller. |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Tout d'abord, c'est vraiment triste ce voir que votre animal souffre. |