







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 | |
|---|---|
| So do you want me to find a house by myself? | 그럼 나더러 혼자 집을 찾으라는 거야? |
| It makes all of our clothes stink! | 그럼 옷가지에 다 냄새가 밸 거 아냐! |
| Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | 응, 사실 나한테는 굉장히 중요해. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | 정말로 하나도 없는지 확실히 봤어? |
| You're right, but he is not only here to fix things... | 네 말은 맞는데, 고쳐주려고 온 것뿐만 아니라... |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | 세상에, 안 믿기는 걸. 네 거야? |
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | 엄, 계산은 안되지만, 150년이 넘는 것 같은데. |
| Sorry Mrs. Jones, there is a misunderstanding... | 죄송합니다, 존스 부인, 오해가 있었던 것 같은데요... |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | 그리고 믿기 어렵겠지만 깨끗하답니다. |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | 음... 이미 손을 버린 김에... |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | 저런, 안됐어요, 감기에 걸린 거예요? |
| Don't worry, I don't like having a very heavy breakfast. | 걱정 마, 난 아침 많이 먹는 거 그다지 좋아하지 않아. |
| See you Mike, hope to see you again. | 안녕, 마이크. 나중에 또 봐요. |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | 빠른 건 맞는데, 지하철 역까지 걷기 싫어. |
| I wear some of them, can I check them when I get back? | 몇 켤레는 신을 수 있어. 일단 갔다 와서 봐도 돼? |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | 연기가 다 사라질 때 까지 좀 기다려야 할 것 같아. |
| The rice section is over there. | 쌀 코너는 저쪽에 있어. |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | 일요일에 이사 가기 전에 토요일 하루 밖에 안 남았어. |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | 걱정마, 마이크. 난 이쪽이 더 좋아. |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | 속에 무슨 마귀라도 숨겨놓은 거 같다구! |