







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 | |
|---|---|
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | |
| Is there any other cat around? | |
| I'm an English teacher. | |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | |
| I feel a bit tired and very hungry. | |
| We are back, where is Bear? | |
| As far as I know, Chows are not good with other animals. | |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | |
| My laptop is in it. | |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | |
| Dear, who is it? | |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | |