







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'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Es tut mir Leid, aber ich kann mir manchmal Namen nicht merken! |
| It's about a web project. | Es geht um ein Internet-Projekt. |
| Can you please not forget to take some poo bags with you! | Bitte denk daran Hundetüten mitzunehmen! |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | Laut Rezept 600g. |
| Right! Who wants chardonnay, then? | Okay! Wer möchte dann ein Glas Chardonnay? |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | Ja, unser Zimmer hat nur ein Fenster! |
| Does anyone else want something to drink? | Willst sonst noch jemand etwas zu trinken haben? |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | Aber eine Packung kostet £2,44 und die andere £1,22. |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | Okay, auf welche Temperatur soll ich ihn stellen? |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | Bei Gasherden kann jemand das Gas anlassen. Das ist zu gefährlich! |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | Du musst auf den Knopf drücken und ihn nach rechts drehen. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Warte, es gibt eine andere Webseite da steht... |
| 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. |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Soll ich das Hühnchen als Erstes in den Kochtopf legen? |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Gehst du oft dahin? |
| You look much younger than that. | Du siehst viel jünger aus. |
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | Oh Gott, das ist die zweitschlimmste Tätigkeit in der Küche! |
| They also have three big windows in their room! | Sie haben auch drei große Fenster in ihrem Zimmer! |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear sitzt hier mit mir. Sein Pimmel ist draußen. |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Ich habe keine Ahnung was Arborio-Reis ist! |