







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 | |
|---|---|
| Well, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Bien, peut-être que nous pourrions avoir un appartement avec deux chambres. Qu'en penses-tu ? |
| 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. |
| He is the bartender. | C'est le barman. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Je suis bien, et toi? |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | C'est quand même 5£ de plus que la plus grande chambre! |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | Non elle va très bien, heureusement. |
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | Tu as des frères et des soeurs? |
| I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. | J'avais pour intention de domir un peu vu que c'est un jour férié. |
| How long does it usually take? | Combien de temps cela prend-t-il ? |
| I am alone till my friend comes. | Je suis seul jusqu'à ce que mon ami arrive. |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Pas de panique Mike, comme je l'ai dit, il ne le fait que lorsqu'il est extrêmement stressé. |
| That's extreme, I don't think we have a mortar and pestle. | C'est spécifique. Je ne pense pas qu'on ait un mortier et un pilon. |
| You never pick Bear's poo up from the pavement. | Tu ne ramasses jamais la crotte de Bear sur le sol. |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalement, il est bien plus cher que les autres. |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | Est-ce celui avec la langue bleue ? |
| You are absolutely right! | Vous avez absolument raison ! |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | On dirait que tu as de l'expérience avec le café. |
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | C'est sympa, les placards on l'air bien, le banc est correct... |
| Yes, I still don't do it. | Oui, je ne le fais toujours pas. |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Ouais, je pense que le logo paraît bien mieux au centre, qu'en penses-tu ? |