







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 didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | Je ne savais, j'espère que c'est pas un gros problème pour lui. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Pourquoi? Il a l'air plutôt propre! |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Tu parles de Rebecca et Cecilia ? |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Regarde sur l'étagère, le prix indique 2.20 livres le kilo. |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | C'est sur la Northern line, la même qu'on utilise ici. |
| Well, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Bien, peut-être que nous pourrions avoir un appartement avec deux chambres. Qu'en penses-tu ? |
| I'm sorry but I have bad news about the room... | Je suis désolé mais j'ai une mauvais nouvelle concernant la chambre... |
| How long does it usually take? | Combien de temps cela prend-t-il ? |
| 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. |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | Non, j'ai de mauvaises allergies. |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | Il est... désolé Mike, que faites-vous ? |
| By the way, the deposit is £3,000 and non-negotiable... | Au fait, l'acompte est de 3000£ et c'est non-négociable... |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Te sens-tu un peu mieux maintenant? |
| Do you want the tray in the middle? | Tu veux que le plateau soit au milieu? |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 degrés est le maximum! |
| Yes, she is coming back, but isn't it what I always do? | Oui, elle revient, mais c'est pas ce que je fais d'habitude? |
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | Au fait, j'aime la couleur des murs... Qu'en penses-tu? |
| 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? |
| There is also some cheese, but it's a bit mouldy. | Il y a aussi du fromage mais il est un peu moisi. |
| Yeah, I like having lasagne the day after it's cooked, it tastes better. | Oui, j'aime manger des lasagnes un jour après leur préparation, elles ont un meilleur goût. |