







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 expect English teachers to look like? | 영어 선생님은 어떻게 생겼다고 생각하길래요? |
| My husband and I really appreciate it. | 남편도 저도 정말 감사한 마음이에요. |
| Is your father sick? | 아버지가 아프셔? |
| I'm happy to hear that. | 좋은 소식이네. |
| It says best before 25th of February. | 2월 25일 전에 먹으라는데. |
| Which website do you use? | 사이트 뭐 쓰는데? |
| Yes, that's okay, we are just about to leave. | 응, 괜찮아, 이제 막 뜨려던 참이었어. |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | 버튼을 아래로 누르고 오른쪽으로 돌려야해. |
| Do you like red or white onions? | 적양파가 좋아, 흰 양파가 좋아? |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | 아보리오 쌀이 뭔지 전혀 모르겠는데! |
| Hello mate, where are you? | 안녕 친구, 어디야? |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | 다들 로코라고 불러요. |
| Yeah, I think it's a bit early to knock on someone's door! | 네, 남의 집 문을 두들기기에는 좀 이른 시간 같은데요! |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | 아, 인력거 같은 거? |
| But I don't know him well. | 잘 아는 사이는 아니네. |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | 다른 사람들이 내가 담배 핀다고 불평한단 말야. |
| Okay, here we are, this is Honeybrook Street. | 그래, 그럼 자, 여기가 허니브룩 스트릿이야. |
| Let me check... when is best for you? | 확인해보죠... 언제 보러 오시겠어요? |
| As far as I know, Chows are not good with other animals. | 그런데 차우차우는 다른 동물들하고 잘 못 어울린다고 알고 있는데. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | 잠깐만, 다른 사이트에서는 뭐라고 하냐면... |