







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 nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | Das ist schön. Ich mag die Musik und den Text. |
| How do you get to Brighton? | Wie kommst du nach Brighton? |
| And he looks about 3 years old now. | Und er sieht jetzt ungefähr 3 Jahre alt aus. |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | Ich mag ein paar Songs von Jamiroquai, aber nicht alle. |
| Okay, we have all the things we need, then. | Okay, wir haben dann alle Dinge, die wir brauchen. |
| They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | Sie arbeiten normalerweise nicht mehr nach 22 Uhr. |
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | Gibt es Pommes oder irgendeine Art von Snack? |
| Yeah, I think this wardrobe is too small for two people. | Ja, ich denke der Kleiderschrank ist zu klein für zwei Menschen. |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Genau, denkst du also Schnecken sind Käfer oder nicht? |
| No, it's the owner, she is an old lady and very strict about that. | Nein, es liegt an der Hausbesitzerin. Sie ist eine alte Dame und sie ist sehr strikt in diesem Punkt. |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | Soll ich den Raum vergrößern, indem ich die Wände verschiebe? |
| Yes, they are all around 2 pounds. | Ja, jeder kostet um die 2 Pfund. |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Verdammt! Ich kann nicht glauben, dass es schon 22:30 Uhr ist! |
| What’s their name? | Wie heißt er? |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Brauchst sonst noch irgendjemand etwas? |
| Anyway, do you live around here, too? | Also, lebst du auch hier in der Gegend? |
| By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | Übrigens, mein Name ist Mike, wie heißt du? |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Es gibt ein paar Automaten im Bahnhof. |
| It's too fruity. | Er ist zu fruchtig. |
| I mostly cook meat, fish and chicken dishes. | Ich koche meistens Fleisch-, Fisch- und Hühnchengerichte. |