







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Sí, es un país bastante grande, más como un continente. |
| Do you have any relatives in London? | ¿Tienes algún familiar en Londres? |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Sí lo es, pero el tuyo no es tan obvio. |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | ¡Mierda! ¡No puedo creer que ya son las 10:30! |
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | Puedes preguntar lo que quieras saber. |
| But I don't think I can use them all, there are too many! | Pero no creo que los use todos, ¡hay demasiados! |
| No, it doesn't look clean, do you want me to clean it? | No, no parece limpio, ¿quieres que lo limpie yo? |
| I'm sorry to say that no pets are allowed in the house! | ¡Lamento decirte que no se permiten mascotas en la casa! |
| What else could I do? Do you expect me not to sleep till I die? | ¿Qué más podía hacer? ¿Esperas que no duerma hasta que me muera? |
| What line is it on? | ¿En qué línea está? |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | ¿Entonces eso significa que no quieres quedarte conmigo? |
| It only takes 15 or 20 minutes. | Sólo se tarda 15 o 20 minutos. |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Lo siento mucho, pero tenemos que cancelar nuestra reunión hoy. |
| Because we know them and have their mobile numbers? | ¿Porque los conocemos y tenemos sus números telefónicos? |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | No es una cosa agradable de decir a una mujer... |
| He is a Chow Chow. | Es un Chow Chow. |
| Are you serious? | ¿En serio? |
| That's why you can't find the answer! | ¡Por eso no puedes encontrar la respuesta! |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Gracias, sí, como dije, Camden está en la zona-2... |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Chicas, este es Diego. |