







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 | |
|---|---|
| What do you do? | 일은 뭐하는데요? |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | 사람들이 수저를 방으로 가져가놓곤 가지고 오지를 않아! |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | 반은 일본인이고 반은 호주인인 거지. |
| Ah, I can't eat the breast, it's too dry for me! | 아, 나 가슴살은 못 먹어. 너무 퍽퍽해! |
| How is your cat? | 고양이는 좀 어때? |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | 아무튼, 비행 상황은 좀 복잡해. |
| I'm just teasing you, dear, 200 degrees is okay! | 좀 놀려봤어요, 자기. 200도면 돼! |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | 그건 좋은 행동이 아닌걸. |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | 마이크, 데리야끼는 일본식이고, 우리는 중국식 레스토랑에 와 있다구. |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | 버튼을 아래로 누르고 오른쪽으로 돌려야해. |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | 아이의 몸을 한 로봇이 있는 거지, 그런데 자기가 로봇인 줄 모르는 거야. |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | 학교에 친구들하고 종종 나오거든. |
| It's a kind of welcoming party for her. | 환영식 비슷하게 하는 거야. |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | 500g짜리 열지도 않은 통이 있어. |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | 모퉁이 돌면 나오는 술집 알아요? |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | 마빈 게이야, 60년대 노래. 근데 이건 리믹스고. |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | 모리슨즈가 더 가깝지 않아? |
| I guess I can meet you there at 20:30, or is it too late? | 레스토랑 앞에서 8시 반쯤에 만날 수 있을 거 같은데, 너무 늦어? |
| The rice section is over there. | 쌀 코너는 저쪽에 있어. |
| I really don't want to see her again! | 그 여자는 다시는 보고 싶지 않아! |