







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 | |
|---|---|
| I can bring him with me when I come back for breakfast. | Ich kann ihn mitbringen, wenn ich wieder für's Frühstück herkomme. |
| How much do you pay for your room? | Wie viel zahlst du für dein Zimmer? |
| They weigh everything at the checkout. | Sie wiegen alles an der Kasse. |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Ja, meinst du Dreiräder? |
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | Soll ich dir eine Tasse Tee oder Kaffee machen? |
| How much garlic do you want? | Wie viel Knoblauch brauchst du? |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | Oben leben Diego und ein britisches Paar daneben. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Mit Bear rauszugehen dauert normalerweise eine Stunde. |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | Ich sehe sie oft dort wo ich arbeite. |
| I feel hungry, too. | Ich bin auch hungrig. |
| That's why you can't find the answer! | Deswegen kannst du die Antwort nicht finden! |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | Mike, Teriyaki ist japanisch. Wir sind in einem chinesischen Restaurant. |
| Hmm... Tomorrow is a bank holiday. | Hmm... Morgen ist ein Feiertag. |
| I like girls' nights out. | Ich mag Frauenabende. |
| Thanks for warning me now, that's very helpful! | Danke, dass du mir das jetzt sagst. Sehr hilfreich! |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Keine Sorge, alle nehmen sich immer meine Sachen. |
| But we have to be quick, I don't have much time. | Aber wir müssen schnell sein. Ich habe nicht viel Zeit. |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | Öhm, wir haben keins, aber es gibt Brot, das nicht mir gehört. |
| I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. | Ich plane ein bisschen auszuschlafen, da es ein Feiertag ist. |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | Meine Vermieter sind ein schwules Pärchen. |