







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 | |
|---|---|
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | Öhm, ich komme nicht drauf. Ich denke, es sind mehr als 150 Jahre. |
| I'm an English teacher. | Ich bin Englischlehrerin. |
| It's all about my lovely little cat, Pogo. | Es geht ausschließlich um meine kleine Liebe Katze Pogo. |
| That's true! How much is your rent? | Stimmt! Wie hoch ist deine Miete? |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Hast du Russland gesagt? Das ist ungewöhnlich! |
| Yes, that's a good idea. | Ja, das ist eine gute Idee. |
| Nothing, 'cause I don't know what the woman looks like. | Nichts, weil ich nicht weiß wie die Frau aussieht. |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | Wurde nicht einfach nur ein Treffen abgesagt? |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | Er ist ein...entschuldige Mike, was arbeitest du? |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Ich werde aber Australien besuchen, sobald Teleportation erfunden wird. |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Deswegen will ich jetzt so viel wie möglich kochen. |
| He looks like he is interested in you! | Es scheint so, als ob er an dir interessiert wäre! |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Ich habe keine Ahnung was Arborio-Reis ist! |
| That's right, I think pressure cookers are quite dangerous, too! | Stimmt. Ich denke Dampfdrucktöpfe sind auch ziemlich gefährlich! |
| I mean, you don't live here with anyone from your family. | Ich meinte du lebst mit niemandem aus deiner Familie hier. |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | Liegt es daran, dass die anderen Mieter keine Haustiere möchten? |
| Is that okay for you? | Ist das für dich in Ordnung? |
| What does Diego do? | Was arbeitet Diego? |
| They are both okay for me. | Beide sind für mich okay. |
| What is it about? | Wovon handelt der Film? |