







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 | |
|---|---|
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Mais leur chambre fait presque le double de la nôtre! |
| I guess so, but I want to finish seeing all the houses today. | J'ai l'impression, mais je veux finir de visiter toutes les maisons aujourd'hui. |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | Et ça, c'est ma petite amie, Cate. |
| The cat is not actually mine, it's my girlfriend's cat. | Le chat n'est pas à moi, c'est celui de ma petite ami. |
| Yes, that's okay, we are just about to leave. | Oui, nous allions partir. |
| Yeah, I think this wardrobe is too small for two people. | Ouais, je pense que la garde-robe est trop petite pour deux personnes. |
| I wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | Je me réveille, je vais mon lit et je range ma chambre. |
| How old are you? | Quel âge avez-vous ? |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Ensuite, il découvre qu'il est un robot et pas un vrai enfant. |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Désolé de te demander, mais t'as tes règles ou quoi? |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Je suis heureux de l'entendre. |
| What else could I do? Do you expect me not to sleep till I die? | Qu’aurais-je pu faire d'autre? Tu t'attends à ce que je ne dorme plus jusqu'à ce que je meure? |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Je ne comprends pas pourquoi il appellent cela un jour férié. |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | Je ne veux plus parler de ce problème dans cette maison. |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | Je n'aime pas aller à l'hôpital non plus. |
| Alright, I think I know who he is... | Très bien, je pense que je sais qui sait... |
| Yeah, I think killing mosquitoes is fair. | Ouais, je pense que tuer les moustiques est correct. |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | Les propriétaires sont un couple gay. |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | Non elle va très bien, heureusement. |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Faites attention à la 3ème marche, elle n'est pas très stable. |