







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 | |
|---|---|
| It's hard to believe, but we have a pressure cooker in the house. | C'est difficile à croire mais on a une cocotte minute à la maison. |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Ouais, mais la chambre est carrée et il n'y a que quatre meubles principaux dedans. |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | Le rendez-vous n'est pas le problème en soi! |
| It's always the same. | C'est toujours pareil. |
| It's not a big deal but it's quite an important thing to mention. | C'est pas ouf mais c'est assez important que tu me le dises. |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | Espères-tu de moi que j'agrandisse la chambre en déplaçant les murs ? |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | Ouais, c'est normal, il feule même quand j'achète de nouvelles chaussettes! |
| As far as I know, Chows are not good with other animals. | D'aussi longtemps que je me souvienne les chow-chows ne supportent pas les autres animaux. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Quelle sorte de ruse est-ce ? |
| I don't know, maybe it helps a bit! | Je ne sais pas, peut-être que ça aide un peu! |
| Well, I'm used to getting bad news today, what's that? | Eh bien, je suis habituée aux mauvais nouvelles aujourd'hui, qu'y a-t-il? |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Parce que je ne veux pas perdre plus de temps à chercher une nouvelle maison... |
| Why don't you get it then? Do you want to see upstairs or not? | Pourquoi ne la prenez-vous pas alors? Vous voulez voir l'étage ou non? |
| Do you have any relatives in London? | Et tu as des proches à Londres? |
| He wants to, but tonight it's impossible. | Il veut mais ce soir c'est impossible. |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | Le reste de la maison est ok, mais la cuisine est un peu salle. |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | Je l'ai finalement terminé et demain est un grand jour ! |
| 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 ! |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Peut-être qu'ils se séparent, je ne sais pas encore. |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | C'est le moment parfait pour visiter une maison... |