







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 | |
|---|---|
| They weigh everything at the checkout. | Sie wiegen alles an der Kasse. |
| Sure, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Klar, mein Name ist Cate und meine Nummer ist 077... |
| I think the price is very cheap. | Der Preis ist meiner Meinung nach sehr günstig. |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | Keine Sorge Mike, ich denke dieser hier ist besser. |
| No, but it's not good for him to take the stairs up and down everyday. | Nein, aber es ist nicht gut, wenn er jeden Tag die Treppen rauf und runter laufen muss. |
| What do you think about him, Cate? | Was denkst du über ihn, Cate? |
| That's why the rent is much lower than average. | Deswegen ist die Miete auch viel niedriger als im Durchschnitt. |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Dann findet er heraus, dass er ein Robotoer ist und kein echtes Kind. |
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | Das ist nicht leihen, sondern stehlen! |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Ein Zimmer oben ist momentan frei, soweit ich weiß. |
| Sorry, madam, Friday is one of our busiest nights! | Sorry gnädige Frau, Freitagabend ist bei uns immer viel los! |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Du musst auf der Strecke irgendwann das Flugzeug wechseln. |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | Tut mir leid, dass ich bei der Eröffnung nicht da war. |
| Then people come and complain to me! | Dann kommen die Leute und beschweren sich bei mir! |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Mein Meeting beginnt um 13 Uhr. |
| I guess time doesn't pass for you while I'm away. | Ich schätze die Zeit vergeht nicht für dich, während ich weg bin. |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | Es freut mich zu hören, dass wir einen ähnlichen Musikgeschmack haben! |
| I think so, he can look around while Bear is not here. | Ich denke ja, damit er sich umschauen kann, solange Bear nicht hier ist. |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Schau auf's Regal. Laut Preisschild kostet er £2,20 pro Kilo. |
| Of course, I researched it well, it's 525 metres. | Natürlich, ich habe das Thema gut recherchiert. Sie ist 525 Meter lang. |