







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do we have a sieve? | Est-ce qu'on a une passoire? |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Tu sais, certaines personnes n'aiment pas poster leurs publicités sur Internet. |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Ah bon? Je ne sais pas... Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
| Then you can decide if I'm a good cook or not! | Tu pourras voir si je suis un bon cuisinier ou pas! |
| I am 24. | J'ai 24 ans. |
| Why do you want to live there? | Pourquoi veux-tu vivre là-bas ? |
| Are you close friends? | Etes-vous des amis proches ? |
| I guess I can meet you there at 20:30, or is it too late? | Je pense qu'on peut se voir là-bas vers 20h30, ou est-ce trop tard ? |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Vous vivez dans cette maison? |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | Mais, la pub dit que la maison à tout le mobilier qu'il faut! |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Vraiment ? Je n'ai pas envie de ruiner ton plan, mais... |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | J'ai besoin d'un fond de volaille pour le risotto! |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | Ouais, c'est normal, il feule même quand j'achète de nouvelles chaussettes! |
| My favourite movie is Pulp Fiction. | Mon film favori est Pulp Fiction. |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Ma réunion commence à une heure. |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | J'aimerais y aller, le jour où ils inventent la téléportation. |
| He hasn't realised that we are at a vet yet. | Il n'a pas encore compris que nous étions chez le vétérinaire. |
| Of course, she is an angel, do you want to talk to your mum? | Bien sûr, c'est un ange, vous voulez parler à votre mère? |