







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 | |
|---|---|
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | C'est sympa, les placards on l'air bien, le banc est correct... |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Est-ce que t'as bien vérifié, on en a aucun? |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Tu sais, certaines personnes n'aiment pas poster leurs publicités sur Internet. |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Enfin, voici Cate et ses collègues de travail. |
| You are very funny mate. | T'es très drôle gars. |
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | Et puis, les vétérinaires sont si chers ! |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | C'est difficile à croire mais il est propre. |
| Okay, we have all the things we need, then. | Ok, on a tout ce qu'il nous faut alors. |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Peu-être qu'ils préfèrent mettres des plaques électriques dans les colocations pour des raisons de sécurité. |
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | Et bien, je n'y arrive pas, je pense que ça fait bien plus que 150 ans. |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | J'aime les musique de Jamiroquai, mais pas toutes d'entre elles. |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Faites attention à la 3ème marche, elle n'est pas très stable. |
| I hope it's not related to me! | J'espère que ça ne me concerne pas! |
| Erm... You look about 30? | Hum... Peut-être 30 ans ? |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Peu importe, je dois aller au petit coin également... |
| Yeah, he is keen on moving house... | Ouais, il est déterminé à quitter à la maison... |
| Is your dog a Chow Chow? | Est-ce que votre chien est un Chow Chow ? |
| 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 ! |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Vous vivez dans cette maison? |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | Heu, soit dit en passant, tant qu'on est sur le sujet... |