







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 mostly cook meat, fish and chicken dishes. | Ich koche meistens Fleisch-, Fisch- und Hühnchengerichte. |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | Nein, sie ist gottseidank absolut gesund. |
| Okay, who sings it? | Okay, wer singt es? |
| Mike! You can't use people's stuff without asking! | Mike! Du kannst nicht die Dinge von anderen nehmen, ohne sie zu fragen! |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Aber stimmt, manche Chow-Chows sind ein bisschen aggressiv. |
| Thanks for warning me now, that's very helpful! | Danke, dass du mir das jetzt sagst. Sehr hilfreich! |
| That's a good question! | Das ist eine gute Frage! |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Ähm... Ich weiß ich schnarche manchmal. Schnarche ich jeden Tag? |
| Isn't it faster taking the tube? | Ist es nicht schneller mit der U-Bahn? |
| Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | Oh schau dir den großen Jungen an. Er wird jedes mal größer, wenn ich ihn sehe! |
| Come on, Mike, it's not about me being home. | Komm schon Mike, es geht nicht darum, ob ich zu Hause bin. |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Warum gehst du nicht an dein Handy? |
| Oh hello... I forgot to mention, it's also a very special occasion... | Oh hallo... Ich habe vergessen zu erwähnen, dass es auch ein ganz besonderer Anlass ist... |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Keine Sorge, alle nehmen sich immer meine Sachen. |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | Das ist mehr als genug. Ich brauche auch etwas Knoblauch. |
| It won't change anything, but reminding me is stressing me out! | Es wird nichts ändern, aber es stresst mich, wenn ich daran erinnert werde! |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Aber vielleicht trennen sie sich. Bisher weiß ich es aber nicht. |
| Because you are in it. | Du bist dabei. |
| You look much younger than that. | Du siehst viel jünger aus. |
| Can your mum handle the situation by herself? | Kommt deine Mutter alleine mit der Situation klar? |