







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 | |
|---|---|
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | Bei Gasherden kann jemand das Gas anlassen. Das ist zu gefährlich! |
| What genre do you listen to? | Welche Musikrichtung hörst du? |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Vielen Dank. Bis am Samstag um 13:00 Uhr. |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Hallo, bist du bereit? |
| Okay, that's fine. | Okay, ist gut. |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Ist das ein Riss in der Badewanne? |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Ein Zimmer oben ist momentan frei, soweit ich weiß. |
| A flat is not a good idea for Bear, it doesn't have a garden. | Eine Wohnung ist keine gute Idee wegen Bear, da es keinen Garten gibt. |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Keine Sorge Mike, wie gesagt, das macht er nur, wenn er gestresst ist. |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalerweise kostet er viel mehr als die anderen. |
| It sounds important. | Das klingt sehr wichtig. |
| Maybe she really is allergic to cats, we don't know that. | Vielleicht hat sie wirklich eine Allergie gegen Katzen. Das wissen wir nicht. |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | Sieht gut aus. Ich denke ich mag das Haus sehr! |
| Are you serious? | Ist das dein Ernst? |
| But I want to see Brighton Pier before the sun sets. | Aber ich will zur Seebrücke von Brighton, bevor die Sonne untergeht. |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear sitzt hier mit mir. Sein Pimmel ist draußen. |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Mein Vater ist Brite und meine Mutter ist Australierin. |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Gehst du oft dahin? |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | Es ist so als ob etwas Böses in ihnen steckt! |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | Das Treffen ist nicht das eigentliche Problem! |