







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 | |
|---|---|
| How many people live in this house? | Combien de personnes vivent ici? |
| Are you serious? | Vous êtes sérieuse ? |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | Les propriétaires sont un couple gay. |
| Yeah, I think killing mosquitoes is fair. | Ouais, je pense que tuer les moustiques est correct. |
| Do you have any sisters or brothers? | Tu as des frères ou des soeurs? |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | Connaissez-vous le pub au coin de la rue ? |
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Oh mon dieu, je suis trop fatiguée là. |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | Ouais, c'est un restaurant très populaire. |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm... Je pense que c'est périmé. |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | Peu importe, que nous reste-t-il à faire désormais ? |
| Oh, I think I know them. | Oh, je crois que je sais ce que c'est. |
| I live very close by. | Je vis très proche d'ici. |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | Umm, c'est Dick ma chérie, le propriétaire... |
| Does that help you to believe me? | Est-ce que ça t'aide à me croire? |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Je n'aime pas la violence dans la vraie vie, je l'aime uniquement dans les films. |
| Everything is the same as it's advertised. | C'est comme sur la pub. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Pourquoi? Il a l'air plutôt propre! |
| Is there a problem with your phone battery? | Il y a un problème avec la batterie de ton téléphone? |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | Tout mon travail est sur cet ordinateur et je n'ai pas de sauvegarde ! |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | Tu ne penses pas que deux fourchettes soient assez? |