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 | |
---|---|
How much rice do you need? | Wie viel Reis brauchst du? |
And secondly, vets are so expensive! | Und zweitens, Tierärzte sind so teuer! |
I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | Ich mag ein paar Songs von Jamiroquai, aber nicht alle. |
Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | Ja, ich möchte das Badezimmer sehen... |
It's a double room plus we get a cleaner once a week. | Es ist ein Doppelzimmer und eine Putzfrau kommt einmal pro Woche. |
Okay, if you say so, I trust you! | Okay, wenn du das meinst, dann vertraue ich dir! |
That's why they're 50% off. | Deswegen sind sie 50% günstiger. |
Where is your school, is it in central London? | Wo ist deine Schule? Liegt sie im Zentrum von London? |
Where are you? | Wo bist du? |
There is a little market near the school. | Es gibt einen kleinen Markt in der Nähe der Schule. |
By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | Übrigens, mein Name ist Mike, wie heißt du? |
I like the seafood restaurants there. | Ich mag die Fischrestaurants dort. |
Well, I'm used to getting bad news today, what's that? | Na ja, ich bin es gewohnt heute schlechte Nachrichten zu bekommen. Was ist los? |
That's extreme, I don't think we have a mortar and pestle. | Das ist extrem. Ich denke nicht, dass wir einen Mörsel und einen Stößel haben. |
Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Natürlich, mein Name ist Cate und meine Nummer ist 077... |
Okay, so what's our plan now? | Okay, also was machen wir jetzt? |
They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | Sie arbeiten normalerweise nicht mehr nach 22 Uhr. |
My landlords are a gay couple. | Meine Vermieter sind ein schwules Pärchen. |
Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | Öhm, ich komme nicht drauf. Ich denke, es sind mehr als 150 Jahre. |
Hello, my name is Mike, I'm Cate's boyfriend... | Hallo, mein Name ist Mike. Ich bin der Freund von Cate... |