







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 | |
|---|---|
| There is nothing under 3,000 in Angel! | Es gibt in Angel nichts unter 3000! |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Gehst du oft dahin? |
| No, I won't... I don't want a house in Mayfair anymore! | Nein, das werde ich nicht... Ich will kein Haus mehr in Mayfair! |
| You don’t look like an English teacher to me. | Du siehst mir nicht aus wie eine Englischlehrerin. |
| What's wrong with him? | Was stimmt nicht mit ihm? |
| Alright, I think I know who he is... | Okay, ich denke ich weiß wer er ist. |
| What about that table? It looks better. | Was ist mit diesem Tisch? Dieser sieht besser aus. |
| Do you want me to put it in the bin? | Soll ich sie in den Müll werfen? |
| No, she is a uni student in Russia. | Nein, sie studiert an einer Universität in Russland. |
| Are you going to say sorry for saying I am stupid then? | Wirst du dich dann entschuldigen, dass du mich dumm genannt hast, oder nicht? |
| 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. |
| What does Diego do? | Was arbeitet Diego? |
| I wish you all the best. | Ich wünsche dir alles gute. |
| And he looks about 3 years old now. | Und er sieht jetzt ungefähr 3 Jahre alt aus. |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | Nein, wie ich schon erwähnt habe, leben sie in Australien. |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | Eine ganze, ungeöffnete 500g Packung. |
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Nicht lange. Mein Unterricht beginnt um 12:30 Uhr. |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Ich meine, kochst du asiatische Speisen oder Gerichte aus anderen Ländern? |
| I need some parsley, but it looks a bit limp. | Ich brauche etwas Petersilie, aber die sieht ein bisschen welk aus. |
| It's about a web project. | Es geht um ein Internet-Projekt. |