







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, that's a good idea. | Ja, das ist eine gute Idee. |
| You are so realistic dear, where is your wedding ring? | Du bist so realistisch Schatz, aber wo ist dein Hochzeitsring? |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Ich würde es bevorzugen draußen zu sitzen, da ich Raucher bin. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Mir geht's gut und dir? |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Aber vielleicht trennen sie sich. Bisher weiß ich es aber nicht. |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | Liegt es daran, dass die anderen Mieter keine Haustiere möchten? |
| I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. | Ich plane ein bisschen auszuschlafen, da es ein Feiertag ist. |
| Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | Oh schau dir den großen Jungen an. Er wird jedes mal größer, wenn ich ihn sehe! |
| Mike! You can't use people's stuff without asking! | Mike! Du kannst nicht die Dinge von anderen nehmen, ohne sie zu fragen! |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Schau. Du kannst den Sonnenuntergang am besten von dieser Stelle aus betrachten. |
| Maybe I know your friend. | Vielleicht kennen ich deinen Freund. |
| It's hard to believe, but we have a pressure cooker in the house. | Es ist schwer zu glauben, aber wir haben einen Dampfdrucktopf im Haus. |
| Is there anything else you want me to do? | Soll ich etwas anderes machen? |
| Do we have any paper towels? | Haben wir irgendwelches Küchenpapier? |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Öhm... Solange deine Hände noch schmutzig sind... |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Es ist immer noch £5 mehr als für das große Zimmer! |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Echt? Wie wecke ich dich auf? |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | Ich schätze du musst jetzt deinen Kochplan ändern! |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | Ich habe nur noch Samstag, bevor ich am Sonntag ausziehen muss. |