







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is your father sick? | Ist dein Vater krank? |
| When I have free time. | Wenn ich Zeit habe. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Mit Bear rauszugehen dauert normalerweise eine Stunde. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Das wusste ich nicht. Ich hoffe es ist nichts Ernstes. |
| What does Diego do? | Was arbeitet Diego? |
| Hello mate, where are you? | Hey Kumpel, wo bist du? |
| That's where Diego works, too! | Dort arbeitet Diego auch! |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | Ist es die mit der blauen Zunge? |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | Marvin Gaye aus den 60ern, aber das ist der Remix. |
| It's all your fault! I feel so embarrassed now... | Es ist alles deine Schuld! Ich schäme mich jetzt so sehr... |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | Soll ich die Pilze für dich in Scheiben schneiden? |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Ich bin wirklich beeindruckt von diesem Bahnhof. |
| I've experienced how difficult and expensive it can be. | Ich habe die Erfahrung gemacht, wie schwierig und teuer es sein kann. |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Vielen Dank. Bis am Samstag um 13:00 Uhr. |
| These days I'm into 60's, 70's remixes. | Momentan Remixe von Liedern aus den 60ern, 70ern. |
| Because you are in it. | Du bist dabei. |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | Das Treffen ist nicht das eigentliche Problem! |
| I'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | Das tut mir wirklich leid. Was für eine Art Krankheit ist es? |
| How often do you have free time, then? | Wie oft hast du denn Zeit? |
| Why do you want to live there? | Warum möchtest du dort leben? |