







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 | |
|---|---|
| Isn't it too early for dinner? | Ist das nicht etwas zu früh fürs Abendessen? |
| It's got some water marks on it! | Es hat Wasserflecken! |
| We're out tonight for Laura. | Wir sind heute unterwegs für Laura. |
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | Ja, sie ist in Australien geboren, aber ihre Mutter ist Japanerin. |
| He wants to, but tonight it's impossible. | Er will, aber heute Abend ist es unmöglich. |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | Hmm, ich mag Pop, Rock und Funk. |
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Oh Gott, ich fühle mich jetzt zu müde. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 Grad sollte passen. |
| That's not nice, Mike! | Das ist nicht nett Mike! |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | Also geht es definitiv nicht um eine Scheidung. |
| We call it a sixth sense! | Wir nennen es den sechsten Sinn! |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Aber vielleicht trennen sie sich. Bisher weiß ich es aber nicht. |
| That's true! How much is your rent? | Stimmt! Wie hoch ist deine Miete? |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Deswegen will ich jetzt so viel wie möglich kochen. |
| It's not for me, it's for the rice, dear! | Er ist nicht für mich, sondern für den Reis mein Lieber! |
| I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | Ich schau nochmal nach. Es gibt nur zwei Gabeln und einen Teelöffel! |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | Gibt es Brot zum toasten? |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Tada, hier ist er... |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | Das ist mehr als genug. Ich brauche auch etwas Knoblauch. |
| Why? I never put a question mark when I search something! | Warum? Ich verwende nie ein Fragezeichen, wenn ich nach etwas suche! |