







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, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | 好的,我要一杯啤酒,我猜你想要红酒,凯特? |
| Eating leftovers during the week saves me some time. | 这个周吃点剩饭会给我节省些时间。 |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | 没事,迈克,我觉得这张桌更好。 |
| But before we go, can you call them and ask if they are okay with pets? | 但是去之前,你可以给他们打个电话确认下是否可以养宠物吗? |
| No, it's the owner, she is an old lady and very strict about that. | 不,是因为业主,她是一定老妇人,对这点要求很严格。 |
| I don't like smoking in the kitchen. | 我不喜欢在厨房里抽烟。 |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | 因为其他人抱怨过我在那里抽烟。 |
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | 是的,她出生在澳大利亚,但是她母亲是日本人。 |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | 嗯,是笔不小的数目! |
| It's about a web project. | 这是关于一个网页项目。 |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | 你为啥不接我电话? |
| There is a little market near the school. | 学校周围有个小市场。 |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | 对不起,他们这里不提供薯条... |
| My husband and I really appreciate it. | 我老公和我对此真的很感激。 |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | 对不起,我忘记告诉你了,你需要轻轻地打开水龙头。 |
| How are you? | 你好吗? |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | 我不想在这个房子里讨论这件事。 |
| As I said, it's much easier to open with two people. | 正如我说的,两个个一起开要容易的多。 |
| I'm sorry to say there is nothing very exciting. | 我很抱歉的说没有什么特别令人兴奋的。 |
| It's got some water marks on it! | 杯子上面有一些水印! |