







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Ja, ich denke du gehst normalerweise so um 06:30 Uhr rum zu Arbeit. |
| I need to wake him up now! | Ich muss ihn jetzt aufwecken! |
| No, no, nothing is wrong, no need to worry, we are all fine... | Nein, nein, alles ist in Ordnung. Keine Sorge uns allen geht es gut... |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Okay, ich koche nicht gerne, aber ich probiere gerne Essen aus. |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Hm.. Ist sie nicht dort? |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Hallo mein Freund, wie geht es dir? |
| Hmm.. yes, I need mushrooms, stock, celery... | Hmm.. ja, ich brauche Pilze, Brühe, Sellerie... |
| Hmm... actually, we have to boil it. | Hmm... wir müssen es eigentlich kochen. |
| I can't imagine myself being on a plane for that long! | Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, so lange in einem Flugzeug zu sein! |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Ich denke nicht, dass das nötig ist, da es alle 20 Minuten einen Zug gibt. |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh verd*mmt. Was für eine Art von Wasserhahn ist das? |
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | Sehr gerne. Hier ist das Menü gnädige Frau. |
| Do you have another one? | Hast du ein anderes? |
| I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | Ich meine, du siehst zu jung aus, um Lehrerin zu 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. |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Hier bitteschön. Hier ist Ihr Kassenzettel und Ihre £20. |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | Ja, das ist normal. Er faucht manchmal sogar meine neuen Socken an! |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Du klingst wie eine Mischung aus britisch und australisch. |
| Which website do you use? | Welche Webseite verwendest du? |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hey, welche Haltestelle ist am nächsten zu Chinatown? |