







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 | |
|---|---|
| I want to be sober and energetic for tomorrow. | Ich möchte nüchtern und voller Energie für morgen sein. |
| Hang on a minute, they are both 300 gr and the same brand. | Warte kurz. Beide wiegen 300g und sind von derselben Marke. |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | Ja, Sie können sich an diesen Tisch setzen. |
| Hello Beatrix, it's me, Cate. | Hallo Beatrix, ich bin es, Cate. |
| Shall we meet at the train station, or do you want me to pick you up from your house? | Sollen wir uns an der Haltestelle treffen oder soll ich dich zu Hause abholen? |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Mit Bear rauszugehen dauert normalerweise eine Stunde. |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | Sorry, ich habe vergessen zu erwähnen, dass man den Wasserhahn sehr vorsichtig aufdrehen muss. |
| My cat is in the garden. | Mein Kater ist im Garten. |
| Right! Who wants chardonnay, then? | Okay! Wer möchte dann ein Glas Chardonnay? |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Klar, unsere Küche wurde neu renoviert... |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | Es freut mich zu hören, dass wir einen ähnlichen Musikgeschmack haben! |
| Congratulations, I wish you luck. | Glückwunsch, ich wünsche dir Glück! |
| I'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | Das tut mir wirklich leid. Was für eine Art Krankheit ist es? |
| Aren't there four of us dear? | Sind wir nicht zu viert Schatz? |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Aber jeder nennt ihn Rocco. |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Ich kann ihn momentan nicht anrufen, weil er nicht erreichbar ist. |
| The rice section is over there. | Die Reisabteilung ist dort drüben. |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Ich bin wirklich beeindruckt von diesem Bahnhof. |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Sie ist halb Japanerin, halb Australierin. |
| Why do you want to live there? | Warum möchtest du dort leben? |