







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 so, but I want to finish seeing all the houses today. | Ich denke schon, aber ich will es schaffen heute alle Häuser anzuschauen. |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Hallo, was für einen Hund hast du, Mike? |
| Do you have any relatives in London? | Hast du irgendwelche Verwandten in London? |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Hallo mein Freund, wie geht es dir? |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Keine Sorge Mike, wie gesagt, das macht er nur, wenn er gestresst ist. |
| That's a good question! | Das ist eine gute Frage! |
| I'm really sorry about that! | Das tut mir wirklich leid! |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Sorry, aber sie servieren hier keine Pommes... |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | Die Leute nehmen das Besteck mit in ihr Zimmer und bringen es nicht zurück! |
| Don't worry Diego, it's not related to you! | Keine Sorge Diego, es geht nicht um dich! |
| I think we need to put some of your clothes away. | Ich denke wir müssen ein paar deiner Klamotten ausräumen. |
| Do you want to bet on it? | Möchtest du darauf wetten? |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Ja, der Kerl mit dem Bart ist Mike. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Es ist schwierig alle Sachen manuell an der Selbstbedienungskasse zu finden. |
| I am 24. | Ich bin 24. |
| I like the seafood restaurants there. | Ich mag die Fischrestaurants dort. |
| Hm, it's comes to roughly £150 a week, it's about the same. | Hm, das sind grob £150 pro Woche. Ungefähr genauso viel. |
| How much do you pay for your room? | Wie viel zahlst du für dein Zimmer? |
| Your perfectly shaped mushrooms are ready! | Deine perfekt geformten Pilze sind fertig! |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Wer zum Teufel ist das? Wie spät ist es? |