







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 | |
|---|---|
| There is no table for you, then! | 그럼 자리 못 구하는 거지, 뭐! |
| It's all about my lovely little cat, Pogo. | 내 사랑스러운 고양이 포고 문제인 거지. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | 셀프 계산대에서는 일일이 항목 찾는 게 어려워. |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | 불편을 끼쳐드려서 정말 미안합니다. |
| Do you have a cigarette? | 담배 있냐? |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | 네, 저는 맥주로 하죠. 케이트 너는 와인으로 하려나? |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | 오픈 때 못 찾아와서 미안해. |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | 음, 내 건 없는데, 남의 빵은 있지. |
| Do you want me to wash the wine bottle before I pour it? | 와인 따르기 전에 병도 씻을까? |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | 응, 서로한테 공격적으로 굴지는 않는 것 같아. |
| It has 1 year to pass its expiry date. | 유통기한이 지나려면 아직 1년이 남았어요. |
| Ta-ta here it is... | 짜잔, 여기 있지... |
| Okay, so what's our plan now? | 그래, 그럼 이제 뭐 할까? |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | 그건 맞지만, 네 억양은 그렇게 세진 않아. |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | 안녕하세요 부인, 아직 계신가요? |
| I'm hungry, but it's better to have something when we meet the guys. | 나도 배 고프지만, 걔네랑 같이 먹는 게 나으니까. |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | 내가 작업한 거 다 거기 있고, 난 백업파일 없단 말야! |
| What does Diego do? | 디에고는 무슨 일 해? |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | 어, 근데 말이지, 말 나온 김에 말인데... |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | 물론이죠, 여자 분이 4분 계시는데, 모두 독일에서 온 대학생이고요. |