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 he hisses occasionally, is it normal? | |
Do you have any relatives in London? | |
Are you the only smoker in the house? | |
Hmm.. yes, I need mushrooms, stock, celery... | |
Sorry, look, here is the station. | |
Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | |
Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | |
The recipe is not from the internet, it's from a Jamie Oliver book. | |
But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | |
Yes, I have got two sisters. | |
I usually take the train. | |
Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | |
That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | |
I think the price is very cheap. | |
And sometimes they don't come home for days. | |
For the risotto, I need some arborio rice. | |
I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | |
So it comes to 2,800 a month! | |
I'm a web designer. | |
Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? |