







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 | |
|---|---|
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | ¿Habrá patatas fritas o cualquier tipo de bocadillo? |
| I think Diego and I are the only smokers in the house. | Creo que Diego y yo somos los únicos fumadores en la casa. |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | La otra está en 3,000, pero incluye todos los servicios. |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | Perdona, olvide decírtelo, tienes que abrir el grifo muy suavemente. |
| Well, not really! I don't like cooking much. | Bueno, ¡la verdad es que no! No me gusta mucho cocinar. |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Y tenemos que pesar todo nosotros, etcétera. |
| But I think that's only for older women. | Pero creo que eso es sólo para las mujeres mayores. |
| The recipe is not from the internet, it's from a Jamie Oliver book. | La receta no es de Internet, es de un libro de Jamie Oliver. |
| I haven't seen her, either, and I don't really want to... | Tampoco la he visto, y en verdad no quiero hacerlo... |
| Oh sorry dear, my husband has some difficulties hearing... | Oh, disculpa querido, mi esposo tiene algunas dificultades para escuchar... |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | Eso está bien, ver tres casas en un mismo día no está nada mal. |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | No, ella está totalmente bien, afortunadamente. |
| I've checked some, there is nothing I like so far. | He checado algunas, pero hasta ahora no he visto nada que me guste. |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | Felicidades.... ¿Pero Pogo es el nombre de una mascota? |
| I hate them buzzing around my ear all night long and waking me up. | Odio que zumben cerca de mi oído toda la noche y que me despierten. |
| I've got a meeting with some people. | Tengo una reunión con algunas personas. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Espera, aquí hay otro sitio web que dice... |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Hola amigo mío, ¿cómo estás? |
| I live just opposite the pub. | Yo vivo justo enfrente del pub. |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | ¿Tenemos un mortero? |