







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 | |
|---|---|
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| I think I'm going to order some duck, it's delicious. | Je crois que je vais commander du canard, c'est délicieux. |
| Sorry, is it possible to see it this Saturday after 2 o'clock? | Désolé, c'est possible de se voir ce Samedi après 14h? |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm... Je pense que c'est périmé. |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Merci de me le proposer chéri. |
| Where are you? | Où es-tu? |
| I hope you are aware it's your last 3 days to find a house... | J'espère que tu es au courant qu'il te reste trois jours pour trouver une maison... |
| Oh really? That's not good. | Oh, vraiment ? Ce n'est pas bien. |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | J'en vois beaucoup là où je travaille à vrai dire. |
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Merci papa, où est la laisse de Bear? |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | C'est quand même 5£ de plus que la plus grande chambre! |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Pas de panique, je ne suis pas avec Mike. |
| I usually take the train. | Je prends généralement le train. |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Regarde sur l'étagère, le prix indique 2.20 livres le kilo. |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Veuillez m'excuser, j'ai besoin d'aller aux toilettes. |
| Hm, it's comes to roughly £150 a week, it's about the same. | Hum, ça fait à peu près 150£ par semaine, c'est presque la même chose. |
| No, because she is mental and can harm Pogo or Bear! | Non, parce qu'elle est folle et qu'elle peut faire du mal à Pogo ou Bear ! |
| Shall we meet at the train station, or do you want me to pick you up from your house? | Rejoignons-nous à la station de train ou voulez-vous que je vienne vous chercher de chez vous ? |
| 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. |
| I like the seafood restaurants there. | J'aime les restaurants de crustacés là-bas. |