







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 | |
|---|---|
| The cat is not actually mine, it's my girlfriend's cat. | Le chat n'est pas à moi, c'est celui de ma petite ami. |
| Nope, I don't cook fancy things, only regular dishes. | Non, je ne prépare rien d'extravagant, seulement des plats basiques. |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | Mike, le teriyaki c'est japonais, nous sommes dans un restaurant Chinois. |
| Who is Mike, darling? | Qui est Mike, chéri ? |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | C'est bien, visiter trois maisons en un jour c'est pas mal. |
| Do you like red or white onions? | Tu préfères les oignons rouges ou blancs? |
| I usually take the train. | Je prends généralement le train. |
| I'm sure it's where it always is. | Je suis sûr qu'elle est à sa place. |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Tu veux que je fasse quoi avec? |
| Hey, the water is boiling, do you want me to pour it into a pot? | Hé, l'eau bout, tu veux que je la verse dans une casserole? |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | C'est un plombier chéri, apparemment elles sont bouchées. |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Vous vivez dans cette maison? |
| Why? What's wrong? | Pourquoi, qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ? |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | On dirait que Pogo veut aller dans le jardin. |
| But it's my favourite restaurant... | Mais c'est mon restaurant favori... |
| Um, I don't feel like eating anything but fish today. | Et bien, je sens que je ne mangerai rien à part du poisson aujourd'hui. |
| Do you want me to get you a glass of wine? | Tu veux que je te verse un verre de vin? |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | Dans la recette, il est dit 600g. |
| 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? |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Je suis vraiment impressionnée par l'architecture de cette gare. |