







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 difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Il est difficile de trouver tous les produits manuellement dans les caisses automatiques |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | Je ne veux plus parler de ce problème dans cette maison. |
| Yes, that's the one. | Oui c'est celui-là. |
| It's about a web project. | C'est à propos d'un projet web. |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh vas te faire f*utre, je dois partir... |
| Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | Salut Cate ! Tu as besoin de quelque chose ? |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Désolé de te demander, mais t'as tes règles ou quoi? |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | Je n'ai pas dit que c'était de ta faut, mais c'est ton tour maintenant... |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | Mes colocataires ne nettoient rien dans cette cuisine. |
| Well, I hope he doesn't keep on pooping all around the house! | Bien, j'espère qu'il ne fera pas caca partout dans la maison! |
| Normally, girls check the wine list for half an hour before they order. | Normalement, les filles regardent la liste de vins pendant une demie heure avant de commander quoi que ce soit. |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Merci, à Samedi 13h alors. |
| I wear some of them, can I check them when I get back? | J'en porte quelques uns, je peux les regarder lorsque je reviendrai ? |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | Non, à vrai dire, il est très propre. |
| Don't you think it's too far away from the tube station? | Tu ne penses pas qu'elle est trop loin de la station de métro? |
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | Bref, tu n'as que 10 jours pour quitter la maison. |
| You were explaining why you are here at 07:30 in the morning. | Tu m'expliquais pourquoi tu étais là à 7h30 du matin. |
| Ah, I can't eat the breast, it's too dry for me! | Ah, je ne peux pas manger de blanc, c'est bien trop sec pour moi! |
| Sorry, I don't have much time, can I tell you the story when I'm back? | Désolé, je n'ai pas trop le temps, je peux continuer l'histoire quand je reviens? |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Tu veux que je fasse quoi avec? |