







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 | |
|---|---|
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | 회의가 중요한 게 아냐! |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | 아무튼, 그럼 해야 할 거 남은 게 또 뭐 있지? |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | 레시피에는 600g이래. |
| My lovely wife always tells me how good your spring rolls are. | 제 사랑스러운 아내가 언제나 이 집 춘권을 칭찬한답니다. |
| I am, I have to be there at 12:30. | 해야 돼. 12시 반까지 가야 해. |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | 하긴, 꽤 큰 나라니까. 거의 대륙처럼. |
| It sounds important. | 중요한가 보네. |
| The recipe is for 6 people. | 레시피는 6인분이야. |
| What do you do? | 일은 뭐하는데요? |
| The packets have 2 pieces in them. | 이 패키지에는 두 조각이 들었어. |
| You are lucky! | 다행이네! |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | 그러면 포고가 사람들이랑 소리 때문에 엄청 겁을 먹는다구. |
| Of course, 2 tomatoes are enough, I think. | 물론이지, 토마토는 2개면 충분할 것 같아. |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | 그리고 믿기 어렵겠지만 깨끗하답니다. |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | 하지만 내가 없으니까 가끔은 죄책감이 들어! |
| Ah, I'm very sorry, but we're fully booked tonight! | 아, 무척 죄송하지만 오늘 저녁은 만석이라서요! |
| Hey, the water is boiling, do you want me to pour it into a pot? | 물이 끓고 있어. 냄비로 옮겨 부을까? |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | 모리슨즈가 더 가깝지 않아? |
| I'm really sorry about that! | 정말 미안해! |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | 누구 고양이 말예요?...내 고양이 말인가? |