







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 look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | Oh schau dir den großen Jungen an. Er wird jedes mal größer, wenn ich ihn sehe! |
| I searched: does Pinocchio know he is not a real boy. | Ich habe gesucht nach: "Weiß Pinocchio, dass er kein echter Junge ist". |
| Is there any other cat around? | Gibt es sonst noch eine andere Katze? |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | Es ist 16:30 Uhr, also sind wir pünktlich. |
| I'm sorry to say there is nothing very exciting. | Es tut mir leid zu sagen, dass es nichts besonders ist. |
| No, what is that? | Nein, was denn? |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | Habe ich? Ich weiß nicht... Was denn? |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | Und im Erdgeschoss haben wir direkten Zugang zum Garten. |
| I want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Ich möchte den Sauvignon Blanc probieren. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Mit Bear rauszugehen dauert normalerweise eine Stunde. |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Klar, unsere Küche wurde neu renoviert... |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hey, welche Haltestelle ist am nächsten zu Chinatown? |
| Um, I don't feel like eating anything but fish today. | Öhm, ich hab heute nur Lust auf Fisch und nichts anderes. |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | Wessen Katze?... Meinst du meine Katze? |
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | Stimmt, ich bin mir sicher die zahlen nicht so viel! |
| His name's Sergio. | Sein Name ist Sergio. |
| Yes, I like them, too. | Ja, die mag ich auch. |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Warum gehst du nicht an dein Handy? |
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Aber welcher Knopf? Man kann nicht sehen, welcher Knopf, was steuert! |
| Well, I'm used to getting bad news today, what's that? | Na ja, ich bin es gewohnt heute schlechte Nachrichten zu bekommen. Was ist los? |