







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 | |
|---|---|
| Calm down dear, I don't think he realises what he says. | Beruhige dich Schatz. Ich denke nicht, dass er weiß was er sagt. |
| Oh, I think I know them. | Oh, ich denke die Rasse kenne ich. |
| I don't know, maybe it helps a bit! | Ich weiß nicht. Vielleicht ein bisschen! |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Vielen Dank für das Angebot. |
| What's the reason for the cancellation this time? | Was ist diesmal der Grund dafür? |
| You don't know the story behind it. | Du kennst die Geschichte dahinter nicht. |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | Nein, ich bin ein Immobilienmakler. |
| It sounds like a good deal. | Das hört sich nach einem guten Deal an. |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | Keine Ahnung. Sie wahrscheinlich in die Mülltonne werfen. |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | Das ist gut, drei Häuser an einem Tag anzusehen ist nicht schlecht. |
| No, I won't... I don't want a house in Mayfair anymore! | Nein, das werde ich nicht... Ich will kein Haus mehr in Mayfair! |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | Egal, gibt es irgendetwas was wir noch machen müssen? |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Stimmt, es ist ein ziemlich großes Land. Eher wie ein Kontinent. |
| They are both okay for me. | Beide sind für mich okay. |
| Well this is how it is... do you want to see upstairs? | Nun, so ist es halt... Möchten Sie sich das obere Stockwerk ansehen? |
| It's about a web project. | Es geht um ein Internet-Projekt. |
| Last night we were open till very late, and you know her excuse. | Letzte Nacht hatten wir lange geöffnet und du kennst ihre Ausrede. |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | Ich möchte darüber in diesem Haus nicht sprechen. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| What genre do you listen to? | Welche Musikrichtung hörst du? |