







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 | |
|---|---|
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | Das Zimmer ist groß und sonnig und das Bett sieht gemütlich aus! |
| Why? What's wrong? | Warum, was stimmt nicht? |
| Well, it's about a kid, I mean a robot. | Nun, es geht um ein Kind, ähm, ich meinte einen Roboter. |
| I hope it's not related to me! | Ich hoffe es geht nicht um mich! |
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Sorry, die Verbindung ist sehr schlecht! |
| Hello, is that Cate? | Hallo, spreche ich mit Cate? |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | Oh ja, heute ist unser Frauenabend. |
| Hey Mike, you look so worried! | Hey Mike, du siehst so besorgt aus! |
| Okay, the grated one's 20% off today. | Okay, der Geriebene ist heute 20% günstiger. |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Hast du Russland gesagt? Das ist ungewöhnlich! |
| How old are you? | Wie alt bist du? |
| How many people live in this house? | Wie viele Menschen leben in diesem Haus? |
| It's not for me, it's for the rice, dear! | Er ist nicht für mich, sondern für den Reis mein Lieber! |
| It won't change anything, but reminding me is stressing me out! | Es wird nichts ändern, aber es stresst mich, wenn ich daran erinnert werde! |
| Do you want to bet on it? | Möchtest du darauf wetten? |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | Gottseidank ist es nichts bedenkliches. |
| Do we have any paper towels? | Haben wir irgendwelches Küchenpapier? |
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Aber welcher Knopf? Man kann nicht sehen, welcher Knopf, was steuert! |
| No, it's the owner, she is an old lady and very strict about that. | Nein, es liegt an der Hausbesitzerin. Sie ist eine alte Dame und sie ist sehr strikt in diesem Punkt. |
| See you Mike, hope to see you again. | Tschüss Mike, ich hoffe man sieht sich wieder. |