







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Ja, der Kerl mit dem Bart ist Mike. |
| What's your maximum monthly budget for the rent? | Was ist dein maximales Budget für die Miete? |
| Yes it is, how are you? | Ja, wie geht es dir? |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Ich weiß nicht wirklich, was ist deiner? |
| Really? Sade is one of my favourites, too. | Echt? Sade gehört auch zu meinen Favoriten. |
| Don't you think it's too far away from the tube station? | Denkst du nicht, dass es zu weit weg ist von der U-Bahn Haltestelle? |
| Until you just light your cigarette. | Bis du dir eine Zigarette anzündest. |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Ich habe keine Ahnung was Arborio-Reis ist! |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Ich habe nicht wirklich Lust, mich ihnen anzuschließen. |
| Do you have another one? | Hast du ein anderes? |
| I wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | Ich wache auf und mache mein Bett und mache anschließend mein Zimmer sauber. |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Vielleicht bevorzugen sie aus Sicherheitsgründen elektrische Herde in Gemeinschaftshäusern. |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | Nein, wie ich schon erwähnt habe, leben sie in Australien. |
| Oh, I think I know them. | Oh, ich denke die Rasse kenne ich. |
| Sure, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Klar, mein Name ist Cate und meine Nummer ist 077... |
| The rice section is over there. | Die Reisabteilung ist dort drüben. |
| Why do you think it's weird? | Warum denkst du es ist eigenartig? |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh nein! Sind Sie sicher, dass nichts verfügbar ist? |
| Maybe she really is allergic to cats, we don't know that. | Vielleicht hat sie wirklich eine Allergie gegen Katzen. Das wissen wir nicht. |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Mein Meeting beginnt um 13 Uhr. |