







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 hungry, but it's better to have something when we meet the guys. | Ich bin hungrig, aber es ist besser etwas zu essen, wenn wir die Jungs treffen. |
| Are you with your friends? | Bist du mit deinen Freunden hier? |
| They're there, under the duvet. | Sie ist dort unter der Bettdecke. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Natürlich. Bitte schön, das ist das Badezimmer. |
| The rice section is over there. | Die Reisabteilung ist dort drüben. |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Du klingst wie eine Mischung aus britisch und australisch. |
| What do you do? | Was arbeitest du? |
| I am, I have to be there at 12:30. | Doch, ich muss um 12:30 Uhr dort sein. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | Das wusste ich nicht. Ich hoffe es ist kein schlimmes Problem für ihn. |
| Yeah, it's open here already... | Ja, sie ist hier schon geöffnet... |
| 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. |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | Es ist unmöglich für mich täglich zwischen Zone 9 und Zone 1 zu pendeln. |
| I'm just teasing you, dear, 200 degrees is okay! | Ich mache nur Spass! 200 Grad sind okay! |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | Hallo Leute, wäre es möglich etwas leiser zu sein? |
| I'm unleashing him now, is that okay for you? | Ich lasse ihn dann jetzt los. Ist das okay? |
| It's very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | Es ist momentan sehr schwer mit dir zu telefonieren. |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | Es scheint niemand zu Hause zu sein! |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Wie sieht es bei deiner Mutter aus, hat sie irgendwelche gesundheitlichen Probleme? |
| It's always the same. | Es ist immer dasselbe. |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | Aber in der Anzeige steht, dass das Haus voll möbliert ist! |