







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | Ja, sie ist in Australien geboren, aber ihre Mutter ist Japanerin. |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Du meinst Rebecca und Cecilia? |
| Until you just light your cigarette. | Bis du dir eine Zigarette anzündest. |
| I'm just teasing you, dear, 200 degrees is okay! | Ich mache nur Spass! 200 Grad sind okay! |
| His name's Sergio. | Sein Name ist Sergio. |
| So I don't snore everyday... | Also schnarche ich nicht jeden Tag... |
| Why? I never put a question mark when I search something! | Warum? Ich verwende nie ein Fragezeichen, wenn ich nach etwas suche! |
| Okay, we have all the things we need, then. | Okay, wir haben dann alle Dinge, die wir brauchen. |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Weil sich die anderen beschweren, wenn ich dort rauche. |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo ist meine kleine Katze. Ist das ein Problem? |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Ähm... Ich weiß ich schnarche manchmal. Schnarche ich jeden Tag? |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | Aber in der Anzeige steht, dass das Haus voll möbliert ist! |
| I am 24. | Ich bin 24. |
| What does Diego do? | Was arbeitet Diego? |
| They are both okay for me. | Beide sind für mich okay. |
| No, I don't have one! | Nein, ich habe keine! |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ich habe eine Schwester und sie ist neunzehn Jahre alt. |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Echt? Wie wecke ich dich auf? |
| I think I deserve a kiss... | Ich denke ich habe einen Kuss verdient... |
| Erm, sorry, but I think you have the wrong Mike... | Ähm Entschuldigung, aber ich denke Sie meinen einen anderen Mike... |