







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 | |
|---|---|
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | Das ist gut, drei Häuser an einem Tag anzusehen ist nicht schlecht. |
| Is it hay fever? I've got some pills for it! | Ist es Heuschnupfen? Ich habe ein paar Tabletten dafür! |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Weil ich mir sicher bin, dass sie keine Käfer in London servieren! |
| Do you know how to use them? | Weißt du wie man sie benutzt? |
| Is that what you want to do? | Möchtest du das? |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | Und jetzt sind mir ein Haufen Pilze übrig geblieben, die ich verwenden kann. |
| How much garlic do you want? | Wie viel Knoblauch brauchst du? |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Natürlich, mein Name ist Cate und meine Nummer ist 077... |
| It's £135 per week! | £135 pro Woche! |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Sie ist die Marketing Managerin der Firma. |
| Yeah, I like having lasagne the day after it's cooked, it tastes better. | Ja, ich mag es Lasagne einen Tag nach der Zubereitung zu essen. Sie schmeckt besser. |
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | Nein, aber darauf habe ich Hunger... |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | Nein, sie ist gottseidank absolut gesund. |
| You know, she is normally an extremely quiet and calm person. | Weißt du, sie ist normalerweise eine sehr leise und ruhige Person. |
| Do you have another one? | Hast du ein anderes? |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Wie läufts, alles okay? |
| Do you want me to put it in the bin? | Soll ich sie in den Müll werfen? |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | Und zur Zeit besuche ich diesen Pub ziemlich oft. |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | Liegt es daran, dass die anderen Mieter keine Haustiere möchten? |
| Do you have their number? | Hast du ihre Nummer? |