







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 | |
|---|---|
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | 음, 내 건 없는데, 남의 빵은 있지. |
| How many people live in this house? | 이 집에 몇이나 살아? |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | 우리 음악 취향이 비슷하다니 기쁜걸! |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | 물론이죠, 자요, 이게 화장실이에요. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | 몰랐어. 심각한 게 아니면 좋을 텐데. |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | 하지만 광고에는 완전히 가구가 갖춰져 있다고 돼있던데요! |
| Okay, how much salt do you want me to add? | 좋아, 소금은 얼마나 칠까? |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | 돈 빌리려고 그러는 거면, 나도 없어. |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | 좋은 선택이야. 여기 오징어도 굉장히 맛있거든. |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | 러시아라고? 특이하네! |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | 사실 저한테 꽤 급한 일이지만. |
| They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | 밤 10시 지나면 보통 끝나거든. |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | 전화를 안 받아서 지금은 통화가 안돼. |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | 누구 고양이 말예요?...내 고양이 말인가? |
| It says best before 25th of February. | 2월 25일 전에 먹으라는데. |
| Maybe I get a bit moody on the first day of my period. | 생리 첫 날에는 좀 기분이 왔다갔다 하기는 해. |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | 좋은 걸요, 전 이 집이 되게 마음에 들어요! |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | 그러면 포고가 사람들이랑 소리 때문에 엄청 겁을 먹는다구. |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | 여러 개 더 있지만, 검트리가 제일 나은 거 같긴 해. |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | 내가 일하는 곳에도 되게 많아. |