







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 | |
|---|---|
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | 응, 얘기했다시피, 호주에 살아. |
| Yeah, he is keen on moving house... | 응, 옮기고 싶어하는 마음이 있는데... |
| What does Diego do? | 디에고는 무슨 일 해? |
| Okay, so what's our plan now? | 그래, 그럼 이제 뭐 할까? |
| Is it because it's too violent? | 너무 잔인해서 그래? |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | 우리 집주인 게이 커플이야. |
| How are you? | 너는 어때? |
| Is that right? | 맞지? |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | 다른 사람들이 내가 담배 핀다고 불평한단 말야. |
| I guess mine is older than yours! | 내가 좋아하는 영화가 네 것보다 오래된 거 같은데! |
| Good boy, Beary! See, he is just a little friend. | 착하다 베어! 보렴, 그냥 작은 친구야. |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | 어쩌면 안전 문제 때문에 셰어하우스에서는 전기 스토브를 선호할지도 모르겠어. |
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | 형제자매는 없어? |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | 으음, 회사 마케팅 매니저야. |
| Is your father sick? | 아버지가 아프셔? |
| Do you know her well? | 잘 아는 사이야? |
| I'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | 정말 유감이야. 무슨 병인지 물어봐도 될까? |
| Yes, that's okay, we are just about to leave. | 응, 괜찮아, 이제 막 뜨려던 참이었어. |
| I am 24. | 나는 24살요. |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | 수염 기른 신사분 말인가? |