







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 | |
|---|---|
| It doesn't matter, I think they are the same distance away. | Macht keinen Unterschied. Ich denke beide sind gleich weit weg. |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Hier nur ich und ein französisches Mädchen nebenan. |
| Come on, don't cry, she is just a stupid girl! | Komm schon, weine nicht. Sie ist nur ein dummes Mädchen! |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | Ähm, apropos, da wir gerade beim Thema sind... |
| There is no table for you, then! | Dann gibt es keinen Tisch für dich! |
| No, I don't have one! | Nein, ich habe keine! |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Ich denke nicht, dass es möglich ist mehr Variationen zu finden. |
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | Ja, tut mir leid, dass scheinbar alles schmutzig ist, aber glaub mir, es ist nicht meine Schuld! |
| What do you think about him, Cate? | Was denkst du über ihn, Cate? |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Weil ich mir sicher bin, dass sie keine Käfer in London servieren! |
| Yeah, I think it's a bit early to knock on someone's door! | Ja, ich denke es ist etwas früh, um an der Tür von jemandem zu klopfen! |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Sorry für die Frage, aber hast du deine Tage? |
| Erm... Yeah... Sure! It's our first anniversary! | Ähm... Ja... Klar! Es ist unser erstes Jubiläum! |
| I'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | Ich rufe ihn jetzt dann an. Willst du etwas anderes? |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | Das ist eine gute Entscheidung. Die Tintenfische hier sind großartig. |
| Is there a knife? | Gibt es ein Messer? |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | Und zur Zeit besuche ich diesen Pub ziemlich oft. |
| Thanks for warning me now, that's very helpful! | Danke, dass du mir das jetzt sagst. Sehr hilfreich! |
| Depends on where you look. | Kommt darauf an, wo man sucht. |
| That's not nice, Mike! | Das ist nicht nett Mike! |