







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 very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | C'est vraiment difficile de te parler en ce moment. |
| Good thanks, I'm fine, too. | Merci, je vais bien aussi. |
| What do you do? | Que faites-vous ? |
| That's nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | C'est joli, j'aime la musique et les paroles. |
| Hello there, are you Cate? | Bonjour, êtes-vous Cate? |
| No, it's not okay, I'm screwed now! | Non, tout va mal, je suis coincé maintenant! |
| How much rice do you need? | Quelle quantité de riz as-tu besoin? |
| I have two more lessons, I finish at three thirty. | J'ai encore deux cours, je finis à trois heures trente. |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | Féliciations... mais, Pogo c'est le nom d'un animal de compagnie? |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Les filles, voici Diego. |
| Yes, I like them, too. | Oui, je les aime aussi. |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Je n'aime pas la violence dans la vraie vie, je l'aime uniquement dans les films. |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Du coup, Pogo ne craint pas les chiens. |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Je crois qu'il y a une chambre vide à l'étage en ce moment. |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Ouais, d'habitude tu vas au travail vers 6h30. |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | Comment tu veux que je coupe les oignons, en gros ou en petit morceaux? |
| But we have to be quick, I don't have much time. | Mais on doit se dépêcher, je n'ai pas beaucoup de temps. |
| Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | Oui, c'est très important pour moi, en fait. |
| We call it a sixth sense! | On appelle ça un sixième sens ! |
| Does anyone else want something to drink? | Est-ce que quelqu'un d'autre veut quelque chose à boire ? |