







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | Nein, aber darauf habe ich Hunger... |
| Hmm... Tomorrow is a bank holiday. | Hmm... Morgen ist ein Feiertag. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 Grad sollte passen. |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | Ähm, apropos, da wir gerade beim Thema sind... |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Ist das ein Riss in der Badewanne? |
| That's why the rent is much lower than average. | Deswegen ist die Miete auch viel niedriger als im Durchschnitt. |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Mein Vater ist Brite und meine Mutter ist Australierin. |
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | Sehr gerne. Hier ist das Menü gnädige Frau. |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Keine Sorge, alle nehmen sich immer meine Sachen. |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Ja, ich höre dich, aber ich verstehe es nicht! |
| I feel a bit tired and very hungry. | Ich bin ein bisschen müde und sehr hungrig. |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Öhm... Solange deine Hände noch schmutzig sind... |
| Is there anything else you want me to do? | Soll ich etwas anderes machen? |
| Hang on, I remember you telling me you never kill animals! | Warte mal, ich erinnere mich, dass du gesagt hast, dass du nie Tiere tötest! |
| Shall we meet at the train station, or do you want me to pick you up from your house? | Sollen wir uns an der Haltestelle treffen oder soll ich dich zu Hause abholen? |
| Where is Flora, isn't she here? | Wo ist Flora? Ist sie nicht hier? |
| I would like to... But I have other things to do... | Das würde ich gerne... Aber ich habe andere Dinge zu erledigen... |
| I'm a web designer. | Ich bin ein Web Designer. |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Was soll ich mit ihnen machen? |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Du meinst Rebecca und Cecilia? |