







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 | |
|---|---|
| That's why you have a headache now! | Deswegen hast du jetzt Kopfschmerzen! |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Sehr schön! Ich hoffe er macht das nicht die ganze Zeit! |
| Yes, that's the one. | Ja, genau die. |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Soll ich das Hühnchen als Erstes in den Kochtopf legen? |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | Er ist ein...entschuldige Mike, was arbeitest du? |
| I hope it's not the right address! It looks awful. | Ich hoffe das ist die falsche Adresse! Es sieht grauenvoll aus. |
| Okay, who sings it? | Okay, wer singt es? |
| Thanks Rocco, that's all for now. | Danke Rocco, das ist alles soweit. |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Ja, du hast Recht. Es ist praktischer, wenn man weniger Sachen hat. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Welcher Trick denn? |
| Umm, oh yes, I can see it now, the ad number is 9845... | Ähm, oh ja, ich kann sie jetzt sehen. Die Anzeigennummer ist 9845... |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Mit Bear rauszugehen dauert normalerweise eine Stunde. |
| No, she is a uni student in Russia. | Nein, sie studiert an einer Universität in Russland. |
| I don't like their chardonnay. | Ich mag ihren Chardonnay nicht. |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Du musst auf der Strecke irgendwann das Flugzeug wechseln. |
| So I don't snore everyday... | Also schnarche ich nicht jeden Tag... |
| I guess so, but I want to finish seeing all the houses today. | Ich denke schon, aber ich will es schaffen heute alle Häuser anzuschauen. |
| Oh, I think I know them. | Oh, ich denke die Rasse kenne ich. |
| Thank you, I'm 26. | Vielen Dank, ich bin 26. |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Danke. Ja, wie ich gesagte habe, Camden ist in Zone 2... |