







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 | |
|---|---|
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | Keine Ahnung. Sie wahrscheinlich in die Mülltonne werfen. |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | Oh komm schon, du weißt das ich nur Spaß mache... |
| Hello Mike, not much, how are you? | Hallo Mike, ganz gut und dir? |
| How much do you pay for your room? | Wie viel zahlst du für dein Zimmer? |
| There is no direct flight from London to Perth. | Es gibt keinen Direktflug von London nach Perth. |
| By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | Übrigens, mein Name ist Mike, wie heißt du? |
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | Soll ich dir eine Tasse Tee oder Kaffee machen? |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | Ich gehe manchmal mit den Mädchen aus unserer Schule raus. |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Mein Meeting beginnt um 13 Uhr. |
| I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | Ich meine, du siehst zu jung aus, um Lehrerin zu sein. |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Tut mir Leid für die Unannehmlichkeit. |
| So Pogo gets on very well with dogs. | Daher kommt Pogo sehr gut mit Hunden aus. |
| Why is that? | Warum nicht? |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Ich würde es bevorzugen draußen zu sitzen, da ich Raucher bin. |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | Ich denke, mein Bart lässt mich älter aussehen. |
| I'm sorry to say there is nothing very exciting. | Es tut mir leid zu sagen, dass es nichts besonders ist. |
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | Hast du irgendwelche Geschwister? |
| I wear some of them, can I check them when I get back? | Ich trage manche davon. Kann ich nachschauen, wenn ich zurück bin? |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo hasst es aber immer noch zum Tierarzt zu gehen. |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalerweise kostet er viel mehr als die anderen. |