







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 am alone till my friend comes. | Ich bin alleine, bis mein Freund kommt. |
| No, we drain pasta with a grater. | Nein, wir gießen Pasta mit einer Reibe ab. |
| I'm a bit paranoid about it. | Ich bin deswegen ein bisschen paranoid. |
| I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | Ich schau nochmal nach. Es gibt nur zwei Gabeln und einen Teelöffel! |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Bist du sicher, dass sie aus Australien kommt? |
| Yes, that's the one. | Ja, genau die. |
| Hello, I'm sorry I'm a bit late. | Hallo, es tut mir leid, dass ich ein bisschen spät dran bin. |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | Ich schätze du musst jetzt deinen Kochplan ändern! |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | Oh komm schon, du weißt das ich nur Spaß mache... |
| Yes, he is one of them. | Ja genau, er ist einer davon. |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Er will auch unsere Miete um 50% erhöhen! |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | Es scheint so, als ob Pogo in den Garten möchte. |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Stimmt, es ist ein ziemlich großes Land. Eher wie ein Kontinent. |
| Alright, I think I know who he is... | Okay, ich denke ich weiß wer er ist. |
| I don't think she wants to talk or solve anything! | Ich denke nicht, dass sie reden möchte oder irgendetwas lösen möchte! |
| I'm sorry to say that no pets are allowed in the house! | Es tut mir Leid, aber es sind keine Tiere im Haus erlaubt! |
| But I think that's only for older women. | Aber ich denke das gilt nur für ältere Frauen. |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | Bei Gasherden kann jemand das Gas anlassen. Das ist zu gefährlich! |
| That's why you have a headache now! | Deswegen hast du jetzt Kopfschmerzen! |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Erstens, es ist so traurig dein Haustier mit Schmerzen zu sehen. |