







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 | |
|---|---|
| Good boy, Beary! See, he is just a little friend. | Guter Junge, Beary! Siehst du? Er ist nur ein kleiner Freund. |
| And the buses always arrive on time. | Und die Busse sind immer pünktlich. |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | Öhm, wir haben keins, aber es gibt Brot, das nicht mir gehört. |
| Everything is the same as it's advertised. | Alles ist so wie beworben. |
| I don't want to live in the suburbs! | Ich möchte nicht in den Vororten leben! |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | Oh ja, heute ist unser Frauenabend. |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | Und jetzt sind mir ein Haufen Pilze übrig geblieben, die ich verwenden kann. |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Hallo, was für einen Hund hast du, Mike? |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | Kennst du den Pub um die Ecke? |
| Umm, oh yes, I can see it now, the ad number is 9845... | Ähm, oh ja, ich kann sie jetzt sehen. Die Anzeigennummer ist 9845... |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | Nein, wie ich schon erwähnt habe, leben sie in Australien. |
| I think I'm going to order some duck, it's delicious. | Ich denke ich werde Ente bestellen. Die schmeckt köstlich. |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | Ja, unser Zimmer hat nur ein Fenster! |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ich habe eine Schwester und sie ist neunzehn Jahre alt. |
| Hi there, it's not Dick, it's Nick... Starts with N. | Hallo, es ist aber nicht Dick, sondern Nick... Fängt mit einem N an. |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | Marvin Gaye aus den 60ern, aber das ist der Remix. |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | Nein, sie ist ein sehr süßes, lockeres und freundliches Mädchen. |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | Eine ganze, ungeöffnete 500g Packung. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 Grad sollte passen. |
| Look, there is a shop assistant. | Schau, dort ist ein Verkäufer. |