







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 | |
|---|---|
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Er muss noch schlafen. Er arbeitet normalerweise auch nachts. |
| I want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Ich möchte den Sauvignon Blanc probieren. |
| So it comes to 2,800 a month! | Also wären es 2800 im Monat! |
| I don't like smoking in the kitchen. | Ich mag es nicht in der Küche zu rauchen. |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Ähm... Ich weiß ich schnarche manchmal. Schnarche ich jeden Tag? |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | Das ist aber nicht nett. |
| Yes, he is one of them. | Ja genau, er ist einer davon. |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Ich denke, du bist aus Australien. |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | Wie sieht für dich denn eine Englischlehrerin aus? |
| Is that what you want me to do? | Willst du, dass ich das mache? |
| No, it's not mine, I think it belongs to the house. | Nein, er gehört nicht mir. Er gehört allen im Haus. |
| I will ask him to take Bear out, so we can have breakfast. | Ich werde ihn bitten mit Bear Gassi zu gehen, damit wir frühstücken können. |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Du meinst Rebecca und Cecilia? |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | Ja, es ist ein sehr beliebtes Restaurant. |
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | Egal, du hast also 10 Tage Zeit das Haus zu verlassen. |
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Ja, Bear isst jeden Tag eineinhalb Katzen zum Frühstück. |
| I feel a bit tired and very hungry. | Ich bin ein bisschen müde und sehr hungrig. |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Keine Sorge, alle nehmen sich immer meine Sachen. |
| Hm, okay... I think I got it, is it like Pinocchio? | Hmm okay... Ich denke ich habs verstanden. Ist er wie Pinocchio? |
| No, but I definitely don't want to live in that house anymore! | Nein, aber ich möchte definitiv nicht weiter in diesem Haus leben! |