







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 | |
|---|---|
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Passen Sie auf die dritte Stufe auf. Sie ist nicht sehr stabil. |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | Das Treffen ist nicht das eigentliche Problem! |
| Erm... I know I snore occasionally, do I snore everyday? | Ähm... Ich weiß ich schnarche manchmal. Schnarche ich jeden Tag? |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Hm.. Ist sie nicht dort? |
| Okay, I found it... but it looks filthy! | Okay, ich habe es gefunden... aber es sieht schmutzig aus! |
| Of course! It's my favourite pub. | Natürlich! Es ist einer meiner Lieblingspubs. |
| That's fine, I'm almost ready. | Kein Problem, ich bin fast fertig. |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | Und wir müssen alles selbst wiegen, usw. |
| 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! |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Ja, du hast Recht. Es ist praktischer, wenn man weniger Sachen hat. |
| Alright, deal! You have 3 days to think, starting now! | Okay, abgemacht! Du hast 3 Tage ab jetzt, um darüber nachzudenken! |
| Oh, okay, is there a problem with your house? | Oh okay. Gibt es ein Problem mit deinem Haus? |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Ja, meinst du Dreiräder? |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Es ist schneller, aber wir wollen nicht zur U-Bahn-Haltestelle zu laufen. |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Verdammt! Ich kann nicht glauben, dass es schon 22:30 Uhr ist! |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | Meinst du zwei Gabeln reichen uns? |
| Um.. it could be blue, I don't really remember. | Öhm.. sie könnte blau sein. Ich erinnere mich nicht mehr wirklich. |
| Hello, do you have a Tesco Clubcard sir? | Hallo, haben Sie eine Tesco Clubkarte? |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh hau ab. Ich muss jetzt gehen... |
| Really? Sade is one of my favourites, too. | Echt? Sade gehört auch zu meinen Favoriten. |