







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 | |
|---|---|
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Manche Menschen mögen es nicht ihre Anzeige ins Internet zu stellen. |
| Do you really think it looks like we have a cleaner? | Sieht es für dich wirklich so aus, als ob wir eine Putzfrau haben? |
| Is she here with you? | Lebt sie hier mit dir? |
| And he looks about 3 years old now. | Und er sieht jetzt ungefähr 3 Jahre alt aus. |
| You know, she is normally an extremely quiet and calm person. | Weißt du, sie ist normalerweise eine sehr leise und ruhige Person. |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Genau, denkst du also Schnecken sind Käfer oder nicht? |
| Don't you think it's too far away from the tube station? | Denkst du nicht, dass es zu weit weg ist von der U-Bahn Haltestelle? |
| Look, there is a shop assistant. | Schau, dort ist ein Verkäufer. |
| Eating leftovers during the week saves me some time. | Es spart mir Zeit das übrig gebliebene Essen, während der Woche, zu essen. |
| That's a very interesting combination. | Das ist eine sehr interessante Kombination. |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Erstens, es ist so traurig dein Haustier mit Schmerzen zu sehen. |
| It's all about my lovely little cat, Pogo. | Es geht ausschließlich um meine kleine Liebe Katze Pogo. |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Es tut mir leid, aber wir müssen unser Treffen heute absagen. |
| How dare he... He is so stupid!!! | Wie kann er es wagen... Er ist so dumm!!! |
| Is that what you want to do? | Möchtest du das? |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Du meinst Rebecca und Cecilia? |
| How many people live in this house? | Wie viele Menschen leben in diesem Haus? |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | Wie soll ich die Zwiebeln schneiden? In kleine oder große Stücke? |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | Ähm, du kannst ihnen sagen, dass es unser Hochzeitsjubiläum ist. |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Ich meine, kochst du asiatische Speisen oder Gerichte aus anderen Ländern? |