







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 | |
|---|---|
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Ich vermute er will etwas Wasser trinken. |
| How often do you have free time, then? | Wie oft hast du denn Zeit? |
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | Leicester Square oder Piccadilly Circus? |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Er muss noch schlafen. Er arbeitet normalerweise auch nachts. |
| Except mosquitoes because they ruin my sleep. | Außer Stechmücken, weil sie meinen Schlaf stören. |
| You are right, it's probably worth more than one cigarette. | Du hast recht, er ist wahrscheinlich mehr als eine Zigarette wert. |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Ähm... Ich weiß ich schnarche manchmal. Schnarche ich jeden Tag? |
| How much are they supposed to pay? | Wie viel müssen sie dir zahlen? |
| Yes, I have got two sisters. | Ja, ich habe zwei Schwestern. |
| But for how many people? | Aber für wie viele Personen? |
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Nicht lange. Mein Unterricht beginnt um 12:30 Uhr. |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Entschuldigung, ich muss auf die Toilette gehen. |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Aber stimmt, manche Chow-Chows sind ein bisschen aggressiv. |
| Is she here with you? | Lebt sie hier mit dir? |
| Come on dear, I know you want me to! | Komm schon Schatz, ich weiß, dass du möchtest, dass ich einziehe! |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Es tut mir leid, aber wir müssen unser Treffen heute absagen. |
| His name's Sergio. | Sein Name ist Sergio. |
| Isn't that funny? | Ist das nicht witzig? |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Weil sich die anderen beschweren, wenn ich dort rauche. |
| I wish you all the best. | Ich wünsche dir alles gute. |