







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hello there, are you Cate? | 안녕하세요, 그쪽이 케이트예요? |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | 맞아, 하나는 3500, 다른 하나는 3000을 내라고 하네... |
| How much are they supposed to pay? | 얼마 주기로 돼있었는데? |
| We call it a sixth sense! | 육감이라고 부르지! |
| It's not a big deal but it's quite an important thing to mention. | 나한테 중요한 일은 아니어도 말해줄 만큼은 중요한 일인 거잖아. |
| What's your plan, Cate? | 케이트, 이제 뭐할 거야? |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | 뭘 하냐면... 미안한데 마이크, 너 직업이 뭐지? |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | 하지만 내가 없으니까 가끔은 죄책감이 들어! |
| I think I did, too, but I've got a really bad headache! | 나도 그런 것 같은데, 지금 머리가 엄청 아프다! |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | 계단에 세번째 발판 조심해요, 고정이 잘 안돼있으니까. |
| I was just joking, how are you? | 농담해 본 거야. 좀 어떻게 지냈어? |
| You are lucky! | 다행이네! |
| How old do I look? | 몇 살처럼 보여요? |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | 거긴 안 가봤는데, 어디야? |
| Hey, we are back. | 어이, 우리 왔어. |
| How long does it usually take? | 보통 얼마쯤 걸리는데? |
| Do you want me to get you a glass of wine? | 와인 한 잔이라도 줄까? |
| Okay, how long is it, do you know? | 좋아, 얼마나 긴지 혹시 알아? |
| How much garlic do you want? | 마늘은 얼마나 있으면 되겠어? |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | 공휴일을 왜 뱅크 홀리데이라고 부르는지 모르겠어. |