







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 | |
|---|---|
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Wie läufts, alles okay? |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | Ich schätze du musst jetzt deinen Kochplan ändern! |
| 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. |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Natürlich, mein Name ist Cate und meine Nummer ist 077... |
| I've experienced how difficult and expensive it can be. | Ich habe die Erfahrung gemacht, wie schwierig und teuer es sein kann. |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Und wir müssen alles selbst wiegen, usw. |
| But I want to see Brighton Pier before the sun sets. | Aber ich will zur Seebrücke von Brighton, bevor die Sonne untergeht. |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | Aber eine Packung kostet £2,44 und die andere £1,22. |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | Nein, er ist eigentlich stubenrein. |
| It's not much less... There is a slight difference! | Es ist nicht viel weniger... Es ist nur eine kleine Differenz! |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, nicht zu glauben. Gehört er dir? |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Passen Sie auf die dritte Stufe auf. Sie ist nicht sehr stabil. |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Brauchst sonst noch irgendjemand etwas? |
| Is it possible to move in tomorrow? | Ist es möglich morgen einzuziehen? |
| Mike! You can't use people's stuff without asking! | Mike! Du kannst nicht die Dinge von anderen nehmen, ohne sie zu fragen! |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Ich mag keine Gewalt im echten Leben, ich mag sie nur in Filmen. |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | Wenn du nach Geld fragen willst, ich habe auch keins. |
| Well, instead of chicken you can try the duck, it's yummy! | Nun, statt des Hühnchens kannst du die Ente ausprobieren. Die schmeckt lecker! |
| As far as I know, Chows are not good with other animals. | Soweit ich weiß kommen Chow-Chows nicht gut mit anderen Tieren zurecht. |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | Ich denke, mein Bart lässt mich älter aussehen. |