







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 | |
|---|---|
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Ich denke, du bist aus Australien. |
| Is it really on the menu? | Steht das wirklich auf der Karte? |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Weil sich die anderen beschweren, wenn ich dort rauche. |
| I wish you all the best. | Ich wünsche dir alles gute. |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hey, welche Haltestelle ist am nächsten zu Chinatown? |
| Sorry, madam, Friday is one of our busiest nights! | Sorry gnädige Frau, Freitagabend ist bei uns immer viel los! |
| Do you have another one? | Hast du ein anderes? |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Ja, Bear isst jeden Tag eineinhalb Katzen zum Frühstück. |
| Do you want me to call them? | Soll ich sie anrufen? |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Sicher meine Liebe. Willst du ein Glas oder eine Flasche? |
| Can your mum handle the situation by herself? | Kommt deine Mutter alleine mit der Situation klar? |
| Do you need to wake up early tomorrow or something? | Musst du morgen früh aufstehen? |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | Ich mag es auch nicht ins Krankenhaus zu gehen. |
| But I think that's only for older women. | Aber ich denke das gilt nur für ältere Frauen. |
| It's about a web project. | Es geht um ein Internet-Projekt. |
| How many people live in this house? | Wie viele Menschen leben in diesem Haus? |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | Nein, ich habe echt schlimme Allergien. |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | Sieht gut aus. Ich denke ich mag das Haus sehr! |
| A one year course? What kind of course is it? | Ein einjähriger Kurs? Um was für einen Kurs handelt es sich? |