







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 | |
|---|---|
| I don't like smoking in the kitchen. | Je n'aime pas fumer dans la cuisine. |
| Okay, the total is £36.74, sir. | Okay, le montant est de 36.74 livres monsieur. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Quelle sorte de ruse est-ce ? |
| Do you have their number? | As-tu leur numéro ? |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Ma réunion commence à une heure. |
| How are you? | Et vous ? |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Oui, je t'entends, mais je ne comprends pas! |
| No, I won't... I don't want a house in Mayfair anymore! | Non, je ne le ferai pas... Je n'ai plus envie d'avoir un maison à Mayfair ! |
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Oh mon dieu, je suis trop fatiguée là. |
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | Ouais, elle est née en Australie, mais sa mère est japonaise. |
| Can your mum handle the situation by herself? | Ta mère peut-elle gérer la situation toute seule? |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | Non, comme je l'ai déjà dit, ils habitent en Australie. |
| Yeah, I've got it! | Ouais, je l'ai! |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | Mes colocataires ne nettoient rien dans cette cuisine. |
| It definitely costs a lot, but that's not the only problem. | Ça coûte très cher effectivement, mais ce n'est pas le seul problème. |
| How is your cat? | Comment va votre chat ? |
| Also, I think we all need to leave soon. | Je pense que nous devons tous partir bientôt. |
| Is that you, Mike? | C'est toi, Mike? |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear est assis avec moi, son zizi est dehors. |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | Il ne me rester que Samedi avant de déménager Dimanche. |