







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 | |
|---|---|
| No, I'm not lying! I never lie. | Nein, ich lüge nicht! Ich lüge nie. |
| Is it really on the menu? | Steht das wirklich auf der Karte? |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | Aber... Ich bin nicht gut im Lügen... |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh verd*mmt. Was für eine Art von Wasserhahn ist das? |
| I really don't know, but I believe it's more than 100 years old. | Ich weiß es wirklich nicht, aber ich denke älter als 100 Jahre. |
| Thanks Rocco, that's all for now. | Danke Rocco, das ist alles soweit. |
| How much garlic do you want? | Wie viel Knoblauch brauchst du? |
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Nicht lange. Mein Unterricht beginnt um 12:30 Uhr. |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Das passiert nur, wenn er extrem gestresst ist! |
| No, this one is the shop's own brand, that's why it's not expensive. | Nein, bei diesem Reis handelt es sich um die Eigenmarke des Geschäfts. Deswegen ist er nicht teuer. |
| Do you live around here? | Wohnst du in der Gegend? |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | Keine Sorge Mike, ich denke dieser hier ist besser. |
| Hey, we are back. | Hey, wir sind zurück. |
| I feel a bit tired and very hungry. | Ich bin ein bisschen müde und sehr hungrig. |
| I'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | Ich rufe ihn jetzt dann an. Willst du etwas anderes? |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | Meine ganze Arbeit ist auf dem Laptop und ich habe kein Backup! |
| Okay, the grated one's 20% off today. | Okay, der Geriebene ist heute 20% günstiger. |
| Absolutely not, while you are working you smoke like a chimney. | Absolut nicht. Du rauchst wie ein Schlot während du arbeitest. |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | Ich mag es auch nicht ins Krankenhaus zu gehen. |