







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 | |
|---|---|
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Mi reunión comienza a la una en punto. |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Solo tengo 3 horas hoy. |
| Maybe I know your friend. | Tal vez conozco a tu amigo. |
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | Sí, perdona, todo parece sucio, pero créeme, ¡no es culpa mía! |
| Exactly, I hate getting woken up in the middle of the night! | Exactamente, ¡odio que me despierten en medio de la noche! |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Lo siento, no sirven papas fritas aquí... |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | ¿Has dicho Rusia? ¡Eso es poco habitual! |
| In these cases, Pogo stays home alone with no food and no attention. | En estos casos, Pogo se queda en casa solo sin comida y sin atención. |
| How are you? | ¿Cómo estás tú? |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | Él es... disculpa Mike, ¿qué haces? |
| I took Bear out and I'm just about to leave. | Saqué a Bear y estoy a punto de marcharme. |
| 50% of 135 is 67.50... And it comes to totally 202.50. | 50% de 135 es 67.50... Y eso hace un total de 202.50. |
| How long does the flight usually take? | ¿Cuánto tarda habitualmente el vuelo? |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | Es más que suficiente, también necesito ajo. |
| It has 1 year to pass its expiry date. | Falta 1 año para su fecha de caducidad. |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | En fin, ¿qué más nos queda por hacer ahora? |
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | Y en segundo lugar, ¡los veterinarios son tan caros! |
| Do you have a cigarette? | ¿Tienes un cigarrillo? |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | ¡Solo lo hace cuando está extremadamente estresado! |
| I guess I can meet you there at 20:30, or is it too late? | Supongo que puedo verte ahí a las 20:30, ¿o es demasiado tarde? |