







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hm, it's comes to roughly £150 a week, it's about the same. | Hm, das sind grob £150 pro Woche. Ungefähr genauso viel. |
| I need some parsley, but it looks a bit limp. | Ich brauche etwas Petersilie, aber die sieht ein bisschen welk aus. |
| As I said, it's much easier to open with two people. | Wie gesagt, sie ist einfach mit zwei Menschen zu öffnen. |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Ja, ist es. Aber bei dir ist es nicht so offensichtlich. |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Weil ich mir sicher bin, dass sie keine Käfer in London servieren! |
| Bacon and eggs with some olives is enough for me. | Speck mit Eiern und ein paar Oliven reichen mir aus. |
| Toby! This is Cate, she is my... friend, from London. | Toby, das ist Cate. Sie ist meine... Freundin aus London. |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Du musst auf der Strecke irgendwann das Flugzeug wechseln. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Warte, es gibt eine andere Webseite da steht... |
| I'm a bit paranoid about it. | Ich bin deswegen ein bisschen paranoid. |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Ja, ich denke das Logo sieht in der Mitte viel besser aus. Was denkst du? |
| Unfortunately, she is a teenager, she is 19! | Leider ist sie ein Teenager. Sie ist 19! |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | Es ist so als ob etwas Böses in ihnen steckt! |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm.. Ich denke er ist abgelaufen. |
| I wear some of them, can I check them when I get back? | Ich trage manche davon. Kann ich nachschauen, wenn ich zurück bin? |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | Oh, sorry! Du machst Dinge nicht gerne sauber. Ich kann es machen. |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | Das ist aber nicht nett. |
| We are back, where is Bear? | Wir sind zurück. Wo ist Bear? |
| The place I am having the meeting is very close to Brighton Pier. | Der Ort an dem ich mein Meeting habe, ist ganz in der Nähe vom Kai in Brighton. |
| Okay, that's fine. | Okay, ist gut. |