







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's not a nice thing to do. | Das ist aber nicht nett. |
| Hi, I don't think it's broken. | Hi, ich denke nicht, dass es gebrochen ist. |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | Oben leben Diego und ein britisches Paar daneben. |
| That's why the rent is much lower than average. | Deswegen ist die Miete auch viel niedriger als im Durchschnitt. |
| Who knows, I consider it as nothing more than a hobby. | Wer weiß, ich sehe es nur als Hobby. |
| Don't worry Diego, it's not related to you! | Keine Sorge Diego, es geht nicht um dich! |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Hallo, bist du bereit? |
| Hi, is your cat okay? | Hi, ist dein Kater in Ordnung? |
| Is it really on the menu? | Steht das wirklich auf der Karte? |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | Ich muss Hühnerbrühe für das Risotto verwenden! |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Öhm... Solange deine Hände noch schmutzig sind... |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Ich möchte nicht, dass du ein Vermögen ausgibst. |
| Really? Sade is one of my favourites, too. | Echt? Sade gehört auch zu meinen Favoriten. |
| Oh sorry, unfortunately, that one is reserved. | Oh, tut mir leid, aber dieser Tisch ist leider reserviert. |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | Meinst du zwei Gabeln reichen uns? |
| That's extreme, I don't think we have a mortar and pestle. | Das ist extrem. Ich denke nicht, dass wir einen Mörsel und einen Stößel haben. |
| He wants to, but tonight it's impossible. | Er will, aber heute Abend ist es unmöglich. |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Und wir müssen alles selbst wiegen, usw. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Das wusste ich nicht. Ich hoffe es ist nichts Ernstes. |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | Nicht schlecht. Was kochst du normalerweise? |