







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 | |
|---|---|
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Pero es cierto, algunos Chows son un poco agresivos. |
| Hello mate, where are you? | Hola amigo, ¿dónde estás? |
| He is fine. | Él está bien. |
| Sorry Mrs. Jones, there is a misunderstanding... | Lo siento Sra. Jones, hay un malentendido... |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | Arriba, están Diego y una pareja británica al lado de él. |
| There is also some cheese, but it's a bit mouldy. | También hay algo de queso pero está un poco mohoso. |
| Do you have another one? | ¿Tienes otro? |
| Or worse, sometimes they throw a party at home! | O peor, ¡a veces celebran una fiesta en casa! |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Sí, ¿quieres decir triciclos? |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | ¿Qué pasa? ¿Todo bien? |
| Okay, who sings it? | De acuerdo, ¿quién la canta? |
| No, it's the owner, she is an old lady and very strict about that. | No, es por la propietaria, ella es una señora anciana y es bastante estricta sobre eso. |
| Mike! You can't use people's stuff without asking! | ¡Mike! ¡No puedes usar las cosas de otros sin preguntar! |
| Sorry, madam, Friday is one of our busiest nights! | Lo siento, señora, ¡los viernes son de nuestras noches más ocupadas! |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Porque no quiero gastar más tiempo encontrando una nueva casa... |
| The recipe is not from the internet, it's from a Jamie Oliver book. | La receta no es de Internet, es de un libro de Jamie Oliver. |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Perdona por preguntar, pero, ¿tienes el periodo o algo? |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Quiero decir, ¿cocinas asiática u otras clases de cocinas? |
| Well, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Bueno, tal vez podamos conseguir un departamento de dos habitaciones. ¿Qué piensas? |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | Parece que tienes algo de experiencia con el café. |