







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hello, I'm sorry, but there is no chardonnay left, Cate. | Bonjour, je suis désolé mais il ne reste plus de Chardonnay, Cate. |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Comment les choses se passent-ils, tout va bien? |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Regarde sur l'étagère, le prix indique 2.20 livres le kilo. |
| Don't worry Diego, it's not related to you! | Ne t'inquiète pas Diego, ce n'est pas à propos de toi! |
| Yes, of course I remember. | Oui, bien sûr que je me souviens. |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | C'est un plombier chéri, apparemment elles sont bouchées. |
| And the buses always arrive on time. | Et les bus arrivent toujours à l'heure. |
| Her name is Ayumi! | Son nom est Ayumi ! |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Mais c'est vrai, quelques chow-chows sont un peu agressifs. |
| I'm sorry to say that no pets are allowed in the house! | Je suis désolé de vous dire qu'aucun n'animal n'est autorisé dans la maison! |
| Of course, I researched it well, it's 525 metres. | Bien sûr, j'ai fait des recherches, elle mesure 525 mètres. |
| 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? |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Je suis vraiment impressionnée par l'architecture de cette gare. |
| But for how many people? | Mais pour combien de personnes? |
| Sure, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Bien sûr, mon nom est Cate et mon numéro est le 077... |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | Bonjour madame, êtes vous toujours en ligne ? |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | Ça craint, tu as un rhume? |
| I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | Je veux dire, vous semblez bien jeune pour être un professeur. |
| I can't imagine myself being on a plane for that long! | Je n'arrive pas à m'imaginer dans un avion aussi longtemps! |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Je n'avais jamais été là-bas auparavant, où est-ce que c'est ? |