







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, I have really bad allergies. | No, tengo alergias muy molestas. |
| Nope, oyster cards are only for transport in London. | No, las tarjetas Oyster solo son para el transporte por Londres. |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | ¿Puedes mostrarme qué ropa puedo guardar en otro lado? |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | ¡Pero su habitación es casi el doble de tamaño de la nuestra! |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, ¡250 grados es el máximo! |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo es mi pequeño gato, ¿hay algún problema con eso? |
| Thank you very much! | ¡Muchas gracias! |
| For the risotto, I need some arborio rice. | Para el risotto necesito arroz arborio. |
| But he hisses occasionally, is it normal? | Pero silba ocasionalmente, ¿es normal? |
| I took Bear out and I'm just about to leave. | Saqué a Bear y estoy a punto de marcharme. |
| Is there a problem with your phone battery? | ¿Hay algún problema con la batería de tu teléfono? |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | Y a veces no vienen a casa en días. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | ¿Has comprobado cuidadosamente, no tenemos ninguno? |
| I don't want to live in the suburbs! | ¡No quiero vivir en los suburbios! |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Sí, es mejor no llenar la bañera hasta el tope, gotea hasta la planta baja. |
| Dear, who is it? | Querido, ¿quién es? |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | No quiero que gastes una fortuna. |
| Do we have any paper towels? | ¿Tenemos toallas de papel? |
| But for how many people? | ¿Pero para cuántas personas? |
| No worries, it's free for you today. | No te preocupes, para ti son gratis hoy. |