







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 | |
|---|---|
| It says best before 25th of February. | Hier steht: Mindestens haltbar bis zum 25. Februar. |
| Yeah, I've got it! | Ja, ich habe ihn! |
| Okay, the total is £36.74, sir. | Okay, das kostet dann insgesamt £36.74. |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Hier bitteschön. Hier ist Ihr Kassenzettel und Ihre £20. |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Weil sich die anderen beschweren, wenn ich dort rauche. |
| How much are they supposed to pay? | Wie viel müssen sie dir zahlen? |
| Why? What's wrong? | Warum, was stimmt nicht? |
| Thank you, dear... For helping me to be a liar! | Danke Schatz... Dafür, dass du mir geholfen hast eine Lügnerin zu sein! |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | Auf der Northern Line. Die gleiche Linie die wir hier verwenden. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Es ist schwierig alle Sachen manuell an der Selbstbedienungskasse zu finden. |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Wie sieht es bei deiner Mutter aus, hat sie irgendwelche gesundheitlichen Probleme? |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| What kind of music do you like the most? | Welche Art von Musik magst du am meisten? |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | Hallo Leute, wäre es möglich etwas leiser zu sein? |
| Is it really on the menu? | Steht das wirklich auf der Karte? |
| Don't worry, we don't do it everyday. | Kein Sorge. Wir machen das nicht jeden Tag. |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | Er ist ein Klempner, Schatz. Scheinbar ist die Toilette verstopft. |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Sorry, aber sie servieren hier keine Pommes... |
| Nope, I don't cook fancy things, only regular dishes. | Nein, ich koche keine aufwendigen Gerichte, nur gewöhnliche Sachen. |
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | Gibt es Pommes oder irgendeine Art von Snack? |