







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 okay, I don't mind. | C'est okay, ça ne me dérange pas. |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Merci, à Samedi 13h alors. |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Regarde sur l'étagère, le prix indique 2.20 livres le kilo. |
| How many people live in this house? | Combien de personnes vivent ici? |
| And the buses always arrive on time. | Et les bus arrivent toujours à l'heure. |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | Oh, allez chéri, je rigolais, tu le sais bien... |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Très bien! J'espère qu'il ne le fait pas tout le temps! |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | C'est le moment parfait pour visiter une maison... |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | En fait, c'est très urgent. |
| I hope you are aware it's your last 3 days to find a house... | J'espère que tu es au courant qu'il te reste trois jours pour trouver une maison... |
| Hmm, I guess it's a bit old, but it's still my favourite. | Heu, je pense que c'est un peu vieux, mais c'est mon favori tout de même. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| I don't think we need to pay for it. | Je ne pense pas que nous allons la payer. |
| I agree, long flights aren't very pleasant. | Je suis d'accord, les longs vols ne sont pas ma tasse de thé. |
| Where is your school, is it in central London? | Où se trouve ton école, au centre de Londre? |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | Ok, je l'ai trouvé... mais elle a l'air sale! |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | Le chat de qui?... Tu veux dire mon chat? |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | Non, je suis un agent immobilier. |
| Do you want me to call them? | Tu veux que je les appelle ? |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalement, il est bien plus cher que les autres. |