







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you want to bet on it? | Möchtest du darauf wetten? |
| What's your favourite movie? | Was ist dein Lieblingsfilm? |
| I think we need to put some of your clothes away. | Ich denke wir müssen ein paar deiner Klamotten ausräumen. |
| Excuse me ma'am, here is an undamaged packet of rice for you. | Entschuldigen Sie, hier ist eine unbeschädigte Packung Reis für Sie. |
| Welcome to the Diamond Duck, do you have a reservation, sir? | Willkommen zum Diamond Duck. Haben Sie eine Reservierung mein Herr? |
| His name's Sergio. | Sein Name ist Sergio. |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Ich arbeite meistens bis spät in die Nacht. Ich stehe nie um 07:00 Uhr früh auf. |
| And the buses always arrive on time. | Und die Busse sind immer pünktlich. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 Grad sollte passen. |
| Is it possible to move in tomorrow? | Ist es möglich morgen einzuziehen? |
| That's why you can't find the answer! | Deswegen kannst du die Antwort nicht finden! |
| I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, so I have no plan. | Ich habe keinen Plan, da ich nicht erwartet habe, dass so etwas passiert. |
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | Stimmt, ich bin mir sicher die zahlen nicht so viel! |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Das passiert nur, wenn er extrem gestresst ist! |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Hallo, bist du bereit? |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | Nein, ich bin ein Immobilienmakler. |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ich habe eine Schwester und sie ist neunzehn Jahre alt. |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Oh, das ist ziemlich viel Geld! |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | Und zur Zeit besuche ich diesen Pub ziemlich oft. |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | Ja, das ist normal. Er faucht manchmal sogar meine neuen Socken an! |