







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 | |
|---|---|
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | |
| I guess my only choice is coming to your house! | |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | |
| Do you like them with or without the skin on? | |
| No, because she is mental and can harm Pogo or Bear! | |
| Dear, who is it? | |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | |
| Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | |
| Maybe I get a bit moody on the first day of my period. | |
| Erm... Yeah... Sure! It's our first anniversary! | |
| You never pick Bear's poo up from the pavement. | |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | |