







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 | |
|---|---|
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Aber welcher Knopf? Man kann nicht sehen, welcher Knopf, was steuert! |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalerweise kostet er viel mehr als die anderen. |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Sehr schön! Ich hoffe er macht das nicht die ganze Zeit! |
| It sounds like a good deal. | Das hört sich nach einem guten Deal an. |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Aber stimmt, manche Chow-Chows sind ein bisschen aggressiv. |
| Does the kid think he is a robot or the robot think it's a kid? | Denkt das Kind, dass es ein Roboter ist oder denkt der Roboter er sei ein Kind? |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | Der Rest des Hauses ist in Ordnung, aber die Küche ist etwas schmutzig. |
| What’s their name? | Wie heißt er? |
| What's the reason for the cancellation this time? | Was ist diesmal der Grund dafür? |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Ja, du hast Recht. Es ist praktischer, wenn man weniger Sachen hat. |
| No, they live in Australia. | Nein, sie leben in Australien. |
| Yeah, I guess spring is the worst time for allergies! | Ja, der Frühling ist wahrscheinlich die schlimmste Zeit für Allergien! |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Genau, denkst du also Schnecken sind Käfer oder nicht? |
| How often do you have free time, then? | Wie oft hast du denn Zeit? |
| How is there four of us? | Inwiefern sind wir zu viert? |
| Yes, she is coming back, but isn't it what I always do? | Ja, sie kommt zurück. Aber mache ich das nicht immer? |
| I mean, you don't live here with anyone from your family. | Ich meinte du lebst mit niemandem aus deiner Familie hier. |
| Is it really on the menu? | Steht das wirklich auf der Karte? |
| Come on dear, I know you want me to! | Komm schon Schatz, ich weiß, dass du möchtest, dass ich einziehe! |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Ähm... Ich weiß ich schnarche manchmal. Schnarche ich jeden Tag? |