







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 | |
|---|---|
| I'm sorry but I have bad news about the room... | Es tut mir Leid, aber ich habe schlechte Nachrichten über das Zimmer... |
| Sorry, I don't have much time, can I tell you the story when I'm back? | Sorry, ich habe nicht viel Zeit. Kann ich euch die Geschichte erzählen, wenn ich zurück bin? |
| That's a good question! | Das ist eine gute Frage! |
| Then you can decide if I'm a good cook or not! | Dann kannst du entscheiden, ob ich ein guter Koch bin oder nicht! |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Daher kommt Pogo sehr gut mit Hunden aus. |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Ja, ich höre dich, aber ich verstehe es nicht! |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | Ähm... Wir sind verheiratet... Ich meinte heute ist unser Hochzeitsjubiläum! |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | Und es ist schwer zu glauben, aber er ist sauber. |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Ich arbeite heute nur 3 Stunden. |
| I think we need to put some of your clothes away. | Ich denke wir müssen ein paar deiner Klamotten ausräumen. |
| Is that you, Mike? | Bist du das, Mike? |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Du klingst wie eine Mischung aus britisch und australisch. |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ich habe eine Schwester und sie ist neunzehn Jahre alt. |
| Cate, are you okay? You seem a little bit aggressive. | Cate, ist alles in Ordnung? Du scheinst ein bisschen aggressiv zu sein. |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Ja, ich denke du gehst normalerweise so um 06:30 Uhr rum zu Arbeit. |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Kein Problem, ich bin nicht mit Mike zusammen. |
| Nothing, 'cause I don't know what the woman looks like. | Nichts, weil ich nicht weiß wie die Frau aussieht. |
| How much rice do you need? | Wie viel Reis brauchst du? |
| Sorry Mrs. Jones, there is a misunderstanding... | Entschuldigung Frau Jones. Es gibt ein Missverständnis... |
| It's always the same. | Es ist immer dasselbe. |