







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 | |
|---|---|
| But before we go, can you call them and ask if they are okay with pets? | Aber kannst du sie vorher anrufen und fragen, ob sie mit Haustieren einverstanden sind? |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | Hallo, es tut mir sehr Leid Schatz. Ich bin etwas zu spät. |
| Toby! This is Cate, she is my... friend, from London. | Toby, das ist Cate. Sie ist meine... Freundin aus London. |
| I don't have time to cook everyday. | Ich habe nicht jeden Tag Zeit zum Kochen. |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Ich werde aber Australien besuchen, sobald Teleportation erfunden wird. |
| It has 1 year to pass its expiry date. | Das Produkt ist ein Jahr lang haltbar. |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Weil ich nicht mehr Zeit damit verschwenden möchten ein neues Haus zu finden... |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Es tut mir leid, aber wir müssen unser Treffen heute absagen. |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | Genau, einmal wird 3500 verlangt und beim anderen Haus 3000... |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Ich habe nicht wirklich Lust, mich ihnen anzuschließen. |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh hau ab. Ich muss jetzt gehen... |
| Unfortunately, I don't have one! Where is yours? | Leider habe ich keinen! Wo ist deiner? |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | Gottseidank ist es nichts bedenkliches. |
| I need to wake him up now! | Ich muss ihn jetzt aufwecken! |
| How is it my fault? | Wie ist es meine Schuld? |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Du musst auf der Strecke irgendwann das Flugzeug wechseln. |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | Also geht es definitiv nicht um eine Scheidung. |
| 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. |
| I'm a bit paranoid about it. | Ich bin deswegen ein bisschen paranoid. |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | Okay, auf welche Temperatur soll ich ihn stellen? |