







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 | |
|---|---|
| What's up? Is everything okay? | Ça va? Tout va bien? |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | C'est génial, je crois que j'adore cette maison! |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | Mes colocataires ne nettoient rien dans cette cuisine. |
| Yeah, I wonder if we share the same taste in movies! | Ouais, je me demande si on partage les mêmes goûts en matière de films ! |
| I will ask him to take Bear out, so we can have breakfast. | Je vais lui demander de sortir Bear, pour qu'on puisse prendre le petit déjeuner. |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Uhm, à cet étage, il n'y a que moi et la fille Française d'à côté. |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Comme je suis fumeur, je préférerais m'asseoir à l'extérieur. |
| What is it about? | De quoi ça parle ? |
| You never pick Bear's poo up from the pavement. | Tu ne ramasses jamais la crotte de Bear sur le sol. |
| No, but I definitely don't want to live in that house anymore! | Non, mais je ne veux plus du tout vivre dans cette maison ! |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | C'est bien, visiter trois maisons en un jour c'est pas mal. |
| Why is that rice so special? | En quoi ce riz est-il si spécial? |
| Okay, here we are, this is Honeybrook Street. | Okay, nous voilà, c'est Honeybrook Street. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Bien sûr, voici la salle de bains. |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Tu parles de Rebecca et Cecilia ? |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | Salut les gars, c'est possible de faire moins de bruit? |
| How long does it usually take? | Combien de temps cela prend-t-il ? |
| My husband and I really appreciate it. | Mon mari et moi sommes vraiment contents. |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | Ouais, c'est normal, il feule même quand j'achète de nouvelles chaussettes! |
| No, she is a uni student in Russia. | Non, elle est étudiante à l'université en Russie. |