







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 | |
|---|---|
| Okay, how much salt do you want me to add? | Okay, wie viel Salz soll ich hinzufügen? |
| Hello Mike, not much, how are you? | Hallo Mike, ganz gut und dir? |
| Nope, I don't cook fancy things, only regular dishes. | Nein, ich koche keine aufwendigen Gerichte, nur gewöhnliche Sachen. |
| Come on, don't cry, she is just a stupid girl! | Komm schon, weine nicht. Sie ist nur ein dummes Mädchen! |
| Depends on where you look. | Kommt darauf an, wo man sucht. |
| Hmm, I guess it's a bit old, but it's still my favourite. | Hmm, ich denke er ist etwas alt, aber trotzdem mein Lieblingsfilm. |
| 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. |
| Of course! It's my favourite pub. | Natürlich! Es ist einer meiner Lieblingspubs. |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | Und es ist schwer zu glauben, aber er ist sauber. |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Ich bin wirklich beeindruckt von diesem Bahnhof. |
| Unfortunately, she is a teenager, she is 19! | Leider ist sie ein Teenager. Sie ist 19! |
| Bear is okay with cats, but definitely not with dogs. | Bear kommt mit Katzen klar, aber definitiv nicht mit Hunden. |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | Das ist die perfekte Uhrzeit um ein Haus zu besichtigen... |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | Aber in der Anzeige steht, dass das Haus voll möbliert ist! |
| Hmm.. yes, I need mushrooms, stock, celery... | Hmm.. ja, ich brauche Pilze, Brühe, Sellerie... |
| It's usually at the top right of your screen. | Sie steht meistens in der rechten oberen Ecke Ihres Bildschirms. |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | Aber... Ich bin nicht gut im Lügen... |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Vielen Dank. Bis am Samstag um 13:00 Uhr. |
| I hope they are going to be here on time, too... I don't like waiting. | Ich hoffe sie werden auch pünktlich hier sein... Ich mag es nicht zu warten. |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Ja, aber der Raum ist quadratisch und es gibt nur vier große Objekte darin. |