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 | |
---|---|
Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | |
Oh hello... I forgot to mention, it's also a very special occasion... | |
I live very close by. | |
I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | |
5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | |
Do you feel a bit better now? | |
Why do you think it's weird? | |
How old are you? | |
And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | |
I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | |
No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | |
He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | |
The packets have 2 pieces in them. | |
Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | |
Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | |
Exactly, I hate getting woken up in the middle of the night! | |
I think that *hand caught on fire* thing is a joke! | |
But it has expired and it has a hole in it. | |
Do you really think it looks like we have a cleaner? | |
I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. |