







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 | |
|---|---|
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Hast du Russland gesagt? Das ist ungewöhnlich! |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Jedenfalls ist die Flugsituation etwas kompliziert. |
| Um.. it could be blue, I don't really remember. | Öhm.. sie könnte blau sein. Ich erinnere mich nicht mehr wirklich. |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | Ähm, es ist Dick Schatz. Er ist der Vermieter... |
| I hate them buzzing around my ear all night long and waking me up. | Ich hasse es, wenn sie die ganze Nacht an meinem Ohr herumfliegen und mich aufwecken. |
| 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. |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Hm.. Ist sie nicht dort? |
| Yeah, I like having lasagne the day after it's cooked, it tastes better. | Ja, ich mag es Lasagne einen Tag nach der Zubereitung zu essen. Sie schmeckt besser. |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo hasst es aber immer noch zum Tierarzt zu gehen. |
| I have two more lessons, I finish at three thirty. | Ich habe noch zwei Unterrichtsstunden. Ich bin um dreiuhrdreißig fertig. |
| 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! |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | Eine ganze, ungeöffnete 500g Packung. |
| Hey, which is the closest station to China Town? | Hey, welche Haltestelle ist am nächsten zu Chinatown? |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Passen Sie auf die dritte Stufe auf. Sie ist nicht sehr stabil. |
| No, they live in Australia. | Nein, sie leben in Australien. |
| It's not for me, it's for the rice, dear! | Er ist nicht für mich, sondern für den Reis mein Lieber! |
| Depends on where you look. | Kommt darauf an, wo man sucht. |
| How much are they supposed to pay? | Wie viel müssen sie dir zahlen? |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | Und im Erdgeschoss haben wir direkten Zugang zum Garten. |
| I would like to... But I have other things to do... | Das würde ich gerne... Aber ich habe andere Dinge zu erledigen... |