







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hey, we are back. | Salut, nous sommes de retour. |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | Il s'agit d'un bon choix, ils font du bon calamar ici aussi. |
| Or worse, sometimes they throw a party at home! | Ou pire, parfois, ils font la fête à la maison! |
| Is that you, Mike? | C'est toi, Mike? |
| I think you wake me up more often than mosquitoes do! | Je pense que tu me réveilles plus souvent que les moustiques ! |
| Excuse me ma'am, here is an undamaged packet of rice for you. | Excusez-moi madame, voici un paquet de riz neuf pour vous. |
| Yes, they are all around 2 pounds. | Oui, ils coûtent tous à peu près 2 livres. |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Je suis désolé, mais je dois annuler notre rendez-vous aujourd'hui. |
| Her name is Ayumi! | Son nom est Ayumi ! |
| You are lucky! | Tant mieux ! |
| 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! |
| How often do you have free time, then? | Et quand avez-vous du temps libre ? |
| Yeah, I think it's a bit early to knock on someone's door! | Oui, il est un peu tôt pour toquer chez quelqu'un! |
| That's a good question! | C'est une bonne question ! |
| 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. |
| Do you want me to tell her that you are here? | Veux-tu que j'aille lui dire que tu es là? |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Désolé de te demander, mais t'as tes règles ou quoi? |
| Also, I think we all need to leave soon. | Je pense que nous devons tous partir bientôt. |
| I'm a web designer. | Je suis web designer. |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Du coup, Pogo ne craint pas les chiens. |