







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'm a web designer. | Je suis web designer. |
| I hope your friends don't mind. | J'espère que cela ne dérange pas vos amies. |
| I guess my only choice is coming to your house! | Je crois que mon seul choix est de venir chez toi! |
| Is it really on the menu? | Est-ce vraiment sur le menu ? |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | Je pense qu'on devrait attendre jusqu'à ce que cette fumée disparaisse. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Je suis bien, et toi? |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Ouais, c'est un grand pays, c'est plus un contient. |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Je ne pense pas, les trains quittent la gare toutes les 20 minutes à peu près. |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Es-tu sûre qu'elle vient d'Australie ? |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | Il y a un robot dans le corps d'un enfant, mais il ne sait pas que c'est un robot. |
| Do we have any paper towels? | Est-ce qu'on a des serviettes en papier? |
| I don't know, maybe it helps a bit! | Je ne sais pas, peut-être que ça aide un peu! |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Je ne peux pas l'appeler en ce moment, son téléphone n'est pas joignable. |
| There is no direct flight from London to Perth. | Il n'y a pas d vol direct de Londres à Perth. |
| Do you want me to call them? | Tu veux que je les appelle ? |
| I don't think it's a suitable movie for kids, dear. | Je ne pense pas que ça soit un film approprié aux enfants, chéri. |
| What is it about? | De quoi ça parle ? |
| They weigh everything at the checkout. | Ils pèsent tout à la caisse. |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Parce que je ne veux pas perdre plus de temps à chercher une nouvelle maison... |
| Is that what you want me to do? | C'est ce que tu veux que je fasse? |