







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, there are some knives, too. | Oui, il y en a aussi. |
| How old do I look? | Quel âge pensez-vous que j'ai ? |
| I'm an English teacher. | Je suis professeur d'anglais. |
| Okay, the total is £36.74, sir. | Okay, le montant est de 36.74 livres monsieur. |
| That's fine, I'm almost ready. | Tout va bien, je suis presque prête. |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Hum... il n'est pas là ? |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | Si tu veux me demander de l'argent, je n'en ai pas non plus. |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Mais tout le monde l'appelle Rocco. |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Salut mon ami, comment vas-tu? |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Je n'ai que 3 heures de cours aujourd'hui. |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Il va plus vite, mais nous ne voulons pas marcher jusqu'à la station de métro. |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | Je suis content d'entendre que nous avons des goûts musicaux similaires ! |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Pourquoi ne réponds-tu pas à ton téléphone ? |
| Yes, it might be, but I'm very busy with some projects these days. | Oui, je pense, mais je suis très occupé par d'autres projets ces temps ci. |
| How many people live in this house? | Combien de personnes vivent ici? |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Ah bon? Je ne sais pas... Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Bref, les conditions du vol sont un peu compliquées. |
| Hang on a minute, they are both 300 gr and the same brand. | Attends une minute, ils pèsent tous les deux 300gr et sont de la même marque. |
| I think so, he can look around while Bear is not here. | Je crois que ça ira, il peut faire le tour pendant que Bear n'est pas là. |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Peu importe, je dois aller au petit coin également... |