







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hey, welche Haltestelle ist am nächsten zu Chinatown? |
| Is there a problem with your phone battery? | Gibt es ein Problem mit dem Akku deines Telefons? |
| Sorry, I don't have much time, can I tell you the story when I'm back? | Sorry, ich habe nicht viel Zeit. Kann ich euch die Geschichte erzählen, wenn ich zurück bin? |
| I agree, long flights aren't very pleasant. | Ich denke auch, dass Langestreckenflüge nicht sehr angenehm sind. |
| How old do I look? | Wie alt seh ich denn aus? |
| Is that okay for you? | Ist das für dich in Ordnung? |
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | Egal, du hast also 10 Tage Zeit das Haus zu verlassen. |
| In these cases, Pogo stays home alone with no food and no attention. | In diesen Fällen bleibt Pogo alleine zuhause, ohne Essen und ohne Aufmerksamkeit. |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Er will auch unsere Miete um 50% erhöhen! |
| No, I don't have one! | Nein, ich habe keine! |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | Okay, auf welche Temperatur soll ich ihn stellen? |
| I think so, at least there is no aggression. | Ich denke schon. Zumindest gibt es keine Aggression. |
| Maybe I know your friend. | Vielleicht kennen ich deinen Freund. |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | Er ist ein Klempner, Schatz. Scheinbar ist die Toilette verstopft. |
| The recipe is not from the internet, it's from a Jamie Oliver book. | Das Rezept stammt nicht aus dem Internet. Es ist aus einem Jamie Oliver Buch. |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Es ist schneller, aber wir wollen nicht zur U-Bahn-Haltestelle zu laufen. |
| But we have to be quick, I don't have much time. | Aber wir müssen schnell sein. Ich habe nicht viel Zeit. |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Dort war ich noch nie zuvor. Wo ist das? |
| That's a good question! | Das ist eine gute Frage! |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | Glückwunsch... Aber ist Pogo der Name eines Haustiers? |