







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 need to wake him up now! | Ich muss ihn jetzt aufwecken! |
| I want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Ich möchte den Sauvignon Blanc probieren. |
| What line is it on? | Auf welcher Linie liegt Camden? |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | Oh komm schon, du weißt das ich nur Spaß mache... |
| I'm a web designer. | Ich bin ein Web Designer. |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Dort war ich noch nie zuvor. Wo ist das? |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | Er ist ein Klempner, Schatz. Scheinbar ist die Toilette verstopft. |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Mädels, das ist Diego. |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Ja, aber der Raum ist quadratisch und es gibt nur vier große Objekte darin. |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Manche Menschen mögen es nicht ihre Anzeige ins Internet zu stellen. |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | Ich denke wir sollten warten, bis der ganze Rauch verschwunden ist. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| So do you want me to find a house by myself? | Möchtest du also, dass ich alleine nach einem Haus suche? |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | Das andere kostet 3000, aber mit allen Nebenkosten. |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Was soll ich mit ihnen machen? |
| Are you with your friends? | Bist du mit deinen Freunden hier? |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | Nein, sie ist ein sehr süßes, lockeres und freundliches Mädchen. |
| Do you know her well? | Kennst du sie gut? |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Hier nur ich und ein französisches Mädchen nebenan. |
| Yes, that's the one. | Ja, genau die. |