







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, I won't... I don't want a house in Mayfair anymore! | Não, não verifico... Eu não quero mais uma casa em Mayfair! |
| Is there any other cat around? | Há mais algum gato por aqui? |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Lamento imenso o incômodo. |
| Yeah, and the market is good, is Camden Lock in zone-2 or 3? | Sim, e o mercado é bom, Camden Lock fica na zona 2 ou 3? |
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | Oh, Deus, é a segunda coisa que mais odeio fazer na cozinha! |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Claro, nossa cozinha foi mobilada recentemente... |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | Individualmente, os mais pequenos 30 cêntimos, os maiores 50 cêntimos. |
| Hm, okay... I think I got it, is it like Pinocchio? | Hum, muito bem... Acho que já percebi, é como o Pinóquio? |
| I wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | Eu acordo e faço a cama e depois arrumo o quarto. |
| I can't believe you still don't get it! | Eu não acredito que você ainda não percebeu! |
| I don't need to wake up very early. | eu não preciso acordar muito cedo. |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | Que passa? Está tudo bem? |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 graus está bom. |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | Oh, sim, hoje é a nossa saída de mulheres. |
| Well this is how it is... do you want to see upstairs? | Bem, é assim mesmo... vocês querem ver o piso superior? |
| Why? I never put a question mark when I search something! | Porquê? Eu nunca coloco um ponto de interrogação quando eu pesquiso algo! |
| Um, I don't feel like eating anything but fish today. | Hum, hoje só me apetece comer peixe. |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | Não é algo bom de se fazer. |
| Are you the only smoker in the house? | Você é o único fumante da casa? |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | O gato de quem?... Você quer dizer o meu gato? |