







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 | |
|---|---|
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Genau, denkst du also Schnecken sind Käfer oder nicht? |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Das wusste ich nicht. Ich hoffe es ist nichts Ernstes. |
| Yeah, he is keen on moving house... | Ja, er würde gerne ausziehen... |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | Hallo gnädige Frau, sind Sie immer noch da? |
| I don't think you really want me to stay here anymore! | Ich denke du willst nicht wirklich, dass ich länger hier bleibe! |
| Of course, she is an angel, do you want to talk to your mum? | Natürlich ist sie ein Engel. Möchtest du mit deiner Mutter sprechen? |
| But I don't know him well. | Aber ich kenne ihn nicht gut. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Natürlich. Bitte schön, das ist das Badezimmer. |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Ja, der Kerl mit dem Bart ist Mike. |
| 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. |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | Kennst du den Pub um die Ecke? |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | Meine Mitbewohner machen nichts in der Küche sauber. |
| Yeah, I've got it! | Ja, ich habe ihn! |
| Why is that? | Warum nicht? |
| No, it's not mine, I think it belongs to the house. | Nein, er gehört nicht mir. Er gehört allen im Haus. |
| No, what is that? | Nein, was denn? |
| What's your plan, Cate? | Was ist dein Plan, Cate? |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Es tut mir Leid, aber ich kann mir manchmal Namen nicht merken! |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | Es gibt einen Roboter im Körper eines Kindes, aber er weißt nicht, dass er ein Roboter ist. |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | Haben wir einen Mörser und einen Stößel? |