







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 | |
|---|---|
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | Egal, du hast also 10 Tage Zeit das Haus zu verlassen. |
| Yes, there are some knives, too. | Ja, es gibt auch ein paar Messer. |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Hier nur ich und ein französisches Mädchen nebenan. |
| Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | Hey Cate! Brauchst du etwas? |
| Yeah, it's open here already... | Ja, sie ist hier schon geöffnet... |
| What else could I do? Do you expect me not to sleep till I die? | Was hätte ich sonst tun sollen? Erwartest du, dass ich nicht mehr schlafe bis ich sterbe? |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Hallo Leute, du musst Cate sein, ich bin Joseph. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Welcher Trick denn? |
| Welcome to the Diamond Duck, do you have a reservation, sir? | Willkommen zum Diamond Duck. Haben Sie eine Reservierung mein Herr? |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | Nein, ich habe echt schlimme Allergien. |
| It's £135 per week! | £135 pro Woche! |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Was soll ich mit ihnen machen? |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Sie ist die Marketing Managerin der Firma. |
| Anyway, my lesson is starting now, I have to go. | Wie auch immer, mein Unterricht beginnt jetzt. Ich muss auflegen. |
| Do your parents live in London, too? | Leben deine Eltern auch in London? |
| Yeah, it's not common, but that's what it says in the recipe. | Ja, das ist ungewöhnlich, aber es steht so im Rezept. |
| Of course, she is an angel, do you want to talk to your mum? | Natürlich ist sie ein Engel. Möchtest du mit deiner Mutter sprechen? |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Tada, hier ist er... |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Aber ihr Zimmer ist fast doppelt so groß wie unser Zimmer! |
| Yeah, the packet is ripped, but it's not overdue. | Ja, die Packung ist beschädigt, aber er ist noch nicht abgelaufen. |