







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 | |
|---|---|
| Who is Mike, darling? | 얘, 마이크는 누구야? |
| Congratulations, I wish you luck. | 축하해, 잘 되기를 빌어. |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | 나도 병원가는 거 싫어하니까. |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | 거긴 안 가봤는데, 어디야? |
| Okay, so do you want me to make 3 serves? | 좋아, 그럼 3인분을 만들면 되는 거지? |
| Are you with your friends? | 친구들하고 왔어? |
| We are back, where is Bear? | 왔어, 베어는 어딨어? |
| Australia is very strict with its customs rules. | 호주는 관세규칙이 정말 빡빡하단 말야. |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | 음, 난 팝이나 락, 펑크가 좋아. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | 물론이죠, 여자 분이 4분 계시는데, 모두 독일에서 온 대학생이고요. |
| Absolutely not, while you are working you smoke like a chimney. | 절대 안 되지, 너 작업하는 동안에는 줄담배를 뻑뻑 피우잖아. |
| Unfortunately, I don't have one! Where is yours? | 안타깝게도, 그런 거 없어! 네 건 어딨는데? |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | 빠른 건 맞는데, 지하철 역까지 걷기 싫어. |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | 하지만 테스코가 더 크잖아. 물건 종류가 더 많아. |
| Maybe I know your friend. | 내가 그쪽 친구 알지도 모르죠. |
| Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | 문을 열 때마다 방금처럼 해야 하는 거예요? |
| Yeah, it's not common, but that's what it says in the recipe. | 그래, 흔치는 않지만, 레시피가 그렇게 말하는 걸. |
| Hello, I'm sorry I'm a bit late. | 안녕, 좀 늦었지, 미안해. |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | 어떨 때는 집에 며칠 씩 안 들어오거든. |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | 아, 미안! 너 뭘 씻고 하는 거 싫어하지, 내가 할게. |