







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 | |
|---|---|
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | J'ai une soeur, elle a dix-neuf ans. |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Mon père est Britannique et ma mère est Australienne. |
| That's a good question! | C'est une bonne question ! |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Oui, c'est mieux de ne pas la remplir complètement, elle fuit à l'étage d'en dessous. |
| Yeah, the packet is ripped, but it's not overdue. | Ouais, le paquet et déchiré mais ce n'est pas une péremption. |
| I think we need to put some of your clothes away. | Je pense qu'on devrait se débarrasser de quelques uns de tes habits. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Attends, il y a un autre site qui dit... |
| Is there a garlic crusher, then? | Est-ce qu'il y a un écrase ail alors? |
| It sounds important. | Cela semble important. |
| 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! |
| It has 1 year to pass its expiry date. | Il a un an encore avant qu'il ne passe sa date de péremption. |
| What's the reason for the cancellation this time? | Pourquoi annuler à ce moment-ci? |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | Hé, qu'est-ce qui ss'est passé? Tout va bien? |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | C'est sur la Northern line, la même qu'on utilise ici. |
| Your perfectly shaped mushrooms are ready! | Tes champignons perfaitement découpés sont prêts! |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Elle est moitié japonaise, moitié australienne. |
| I'm hungry, but it's better to have something when we meet the guys. | J'ai faim, mais c'est mieux d'avoir quelque chose quand nous verrons les garçons. |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Ta-ta elle est là... |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | C'est une bonne chose à faire. |
| 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. |