







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 | |
|---|---|
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | Glückwunsch... Aber ist Pogo der Name eines Haustiers? |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, nicht zu glauben. Gehört er dir? |
| How long does the flight usually take? | Wie lange dauert der Flug normalerweise? |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Keine Sorge Mike, wie gesagt, das macht er nur, wenn er gestresst ist. |
| We all love bank holidays. | Wir alle lieben Bankfeiertage. |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Ist das ein Riss in der Badewanne? |
| I think I deserve a kiss... | Ich denke ich habe einen Kuss verdient... |
| I'm sorry but I have bad news about the room... | Es tut mir Leid, aber ich habe schlechte Nachrichten über das Zimmer... |
| It has 1 year to pass its expiry date. | Das Produkt ist ein Jahr lang haltbar. |
| That's so sad, how old are your parents? | Das ist so traurig. Wie alt sind deine Eltern? |
| I am, I have to be there at 12:30. | Doch, ich muss um 12:30 Uhr dort sein. |
| Oh, sorry, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to order what I want! | Oh entschuldige. Ich wusste nicht, dass ich nicht bestellen darf was ich möchte! |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hast du sorgfältig nachgeschaut? Gibt es überhaupt keins? |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | Wurde nicht einfach nur ein Treffen abgesagt? |
| It's in Islington, zone-1, it's the best place for me so far. | In Islington in Zone 1. Das ist für mich momentan der beste Ort. |
| I'm so sorry about the inconvenience. | Tut mir Leid für die Unannehmlichkeit. |
| I'm really sorry to hear that, mate! | Tut mir echt leid das zu hören! |
| I'm a bit paranoid about it. | Ich bin deswegen ein bisschen paranoid. |
| But I think that's only for older women. | Aber ich denke das gilt nur für ältere Frauen. |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | Meine Vermieter sind ein schwules Pärchen. |