







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 | |
|---|---|
| Okay, how much salt do you want me to add? | Ok, combien de sel veux-tu que je mette? |
| 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 ? |
| I agree, long flights aren't very pleasant. | Je suis d'accord, les longs vols ne sont pas ma tasse de thé. |
| Why don't we pay 100 more each, and get a house in Mayfair? | Pourquoi payerions-nous pas 100 de plus chacun et avoir une maison à Mayfair ? |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Ta-ta elle est là... |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Bien sûr, il y a quatre filles, toutes étudiantes d'Allemagne. |
| As a result, he starts pooping and peeing all over the house. | Par conséquent, il commence à faire caca et pipi partout dans la maison. |
| Hm, okay... I think I got it, is it like Pinocchio? | Ha, okay... Je pense que j'ai compris, c'est comme Pinocchio ? |
| Come on in, here on the ground floor, we have two bedrooms... | Entrez, au rez-de-chausse, on a deux chambres... |
| What's your favourite movie? | Quel est ton film préféré ? |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | C'est comme si le mal était caché en eux! |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Il doit être en train de dormir, il travaille souvent la nuit aussi. |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Je n'avais jamais été là-bas auparavant, où est-ce que c'est ? |
| Do you know how to use them? | Tu sais comment les utiliser? |
| They weigh everything at the checkout. | Ils pèsent tout à la caisse. |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Ouais, tu as raison, c'est plus utile lorsque nous avons peu de choses. |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | Et Pogo a très peur à cause de la foule et du bruit. |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | Peux-tu me montrer quels habits je dois déplacer ? |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | Ok, tu veux que je le mette à quelle témpérature? |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | Ouais, je vous prendrais bien une bière, je suppose que tu veux du vin, Cate ? |