







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 | |
|---|---|
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | Er ist 70 und meine Mutter ist 64. |
| It says best before 25th of February. | Hier steht: Mindestens haltbar bis zum 25. Februar. |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | Sieht gut aus. Ich denke ich mag das Haus sehr! |
| Do we have a sieve? | Haben wir ein Sieb? |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Verdammt! Ich kann nicht glauben, dass es schon 22:30 Uhr ist! |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh nein! Sind Sie sicher, dass nichts verfügbar ist? |
| I am half-British and half-Australian. | Ich bin halb Britin und halb Australierin. |
| 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. |
| Which website do you use? | Welche Webseite verwendest du? |
| I am, I have to be there at 12:30. | Doch, ich muss um 12:30 Uhr dort sein. |
| Also, one of my friends works there. | Einer meiner Freunde arbeitet auch dort. |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Klar, unsere Küche wurde neu renoviert... |
| That's a good question! | Das ist eine gute Frage! |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | Ich denke wir sollten warten, bis der ganze Rauch verschwunden ist. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Es ist schwierig alle Sachen manuell an der Selbstbedienungskasse zu finden. |
| By the way, the deposit is £3,000 and non-negotiable... | Übrigens die Kaution beträgt £3000 und ist nicht verhandelbar... |
| I hope he gets well soon. | Ich hoffe er wird bald wieder gesund. |
| Isn't that funny? | Ist das nicht witzig? |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Was soll ich mit ihnen machen? |
| It's too fruity. | Er ist zu fruchtig. |