







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 | |
|---|---|
| Oh Jesus Christ... I get it now! That's disgusting... | Oh Gott... Jetzt habe ich es verstanden! Das ist ekelhaft... |
| You never pick Bear's poo up from the pavement. | Du hebst nie die Häufchen von Bear vom Boden auf. |
| Is it because it's too violent? | Weil zu viel Gewalt darin vorkommt? |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | Das ist eine gute Entscheidung. Die Tintenfische hier sind großartig. |
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | Und zweitens, Tierärzte sind so teuer! |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 Grad ist die Höchsttemperatur! |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Ist das ein Riss in der Badewanne? |
| Hm, okay... I think I got it, is it like Pinocchio? | Hmm okay... Ich denke ich habs verstanden. Ist er wie Pinocchio? |
| It's too fruity. | Er ist zu fruchtig. |
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Nicht lange. Mein Unterricht beginnt um 12:30 Uhr. |
| What's your maximum monthly budget for the rent? | Was ist dein maximales Budget für die Miete? |
| Okay, who sings it? | Okay, wer singt es? |
| Thank you again for giving me your turn. | Danke nochmals, dass du mich vorgelassen hast. |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | Okay, ich habe es gefunden... aber es sieht schmutzig aus! |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | Ich muss Hühnerbrühe für das Risotto verwenden! |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Entschuldigung, ich muss auf die Toilette gehen. |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Sicher meine Liebe. Willst du ein Glas oder eine Flasche? |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | Aber Tesco ist größer und hat eine größere Auswahl an Produkten. |
| But it has expired and it has a hole in it. | Aber er ist abgelaufen und die Packung hat ein Loch. |
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | Ja, sie ist in Australien geboren, aber ihre Mutter ist Japanerin. |