







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is it because of the cost, or another reason? | Wegen den Kosten oder gibt es einen anderen Grund? |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | Glückwunsch... Aber ist Pogo der Name eines Haustiers? |
| Bear is okay with cats, but definitely not with dogs. | Bear kommt mit Katzen klar, aber definitiv nicht mit Hunden. |
| He looks like he is interested in you! | Es scheint so, als ob er an dir interessiert wäre! |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | Wie sieht für dich denn eine Englischlehrerin aus? |
| What is it about? | Wovon handelt der Film? |
| Is that you, Mike? | Bist du das, Mike? |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | Ich habe nicht gesagt, dass es deine Schuld ist, aber du bist jetzt dran... |
| I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. | Ich plane ein bisschen auszuschlafen, da es ein Feiertag ist. |
| My friend noted here it is your wedding anniversary! | Meine Kollegin hat hier vermerkt, dass es Ihr Hochzeitsjubiläum ist! |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | Egal, gibt es irgendetwas was wir noch machen müssen? |
| Her name is Ayumi! | Ihr Name ist Ayumi! |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | Und zur Zeit besuche ich diesen Pub ziemlich oft. |
| You are right, is there anything you want me to buy on the way? | Du hast Recht. Soll ich etwas unterwegs kaufen? |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Ich möchte nicht, dass du ein Vermögen ausgibst. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hast du sorgfältig nachgeschaut? Gibt es überhaupt keins? |
| Sorry, is it possible to see it this Saturday after 2 o'clock? | Entschuldigung. Ist es möglich das Haus am Samstag nach 14 Uhr anzusehen? |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Sehr schön! Ich hoffe er macht das nicht die ganze Zeit! |
| I don't think it's normal, do you think it's normal? | Ich denke nicht, dass das normal ist. Denkst du, dass das normal ist? |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | Ich habe einen Termin beim Innenministerium wegen der Verlängerung meines Visums. |