







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 | |
|---|---|
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Sorry, die Verbindung ist sehr schlecht! |
| Are you going to say sorry for saying I am stupid then? | Wirst du dich dann entschuldigen, dass du mich dumm genannt hast, oder nicht? |
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | Sehr gerne. Hier ist das Menü gnädige Frau. |
| It's £135 per week! | £135 pro Woche! |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Ich denke nicht, dass das nötig ist, da es alle 20 Minuten einen Zug gibt. |
| Okay, if you say so, I trust you! | Okay, wenn du das meinst, dann vertraue ich dir! |
| Excuse me ma'am, here is an undamaged packet of rice for you. | Entschuldigen Sie, hier ist eine unbeschädigte Packung Reis für Sie. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Mit Bear rauszugehen dauert normalerweise eine Stunde. |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Öhm... Solange deine Hände noch schmutzig sind... |
| Do you want the tray in the middle? | Möchtest du das Blech in der Mitte? |
| Is it possible to move in tomorrow? | Ist es möglich morgen einzuziehen? |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Jedenfalls ist die Flugsituation etwas kompliziert. |
| If you are going to ask for money, I don't have any, either. | Wenn du nach Geld fragen willst, ich habe auch keins. |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | Nein, wie ich schon erwähnt habe, leben sie in Australien. |
| Um.. it could be blue, I don't really remember. | Öhm.. sie könnte blau sein. Ich erinnere mich nicht mehr wirklich. |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh hau ab. Ich muss jetzt gehen... |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | Es ist 16:30 Uhr, also sind wir pünktlich. |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Dann findet er heraus, dass er ein Robotoer ist und kein echtes Kind. |
| Is your father sick? | Ist dein Vater krank? |
| Okay, how long is it, do you know? | Okay, wie lang ist sie? Weißt du das? |