







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 | |
|---|---|
| What kind of trick is that? | Welcher Trick denn? |
| As I said, it's much easier to open with two people. | Wie gesagt, sie ist einfach mit zwei Menschen zu öffnen. |
| How is there four of us? | Inwiefern sind wir zu viert? |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Ich denke nicht, dass das nötig ist, da es alle 20 Minuten einen Zug gibt. |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | Ähm... Wir sind verheiratet... Ich meinte heute ist unser Hochzeitsjubiläum! |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | Gottseidank ist es nichts bedenkliches. |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 Grad ist die Höchsttemperatur! |
| Oh my god! It’s almost 12 o’clock. | Oh mein Gott! Es ist fast 12 Uhr. |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | Laut Rezept 600g. |
| Welcome to the Diamond Duck, do you have a reservation, sir? | Willkommen zum Diamond Duck. Haben Sie eine Reservierung mein Herr? |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | Der Rest des Hauses ist in Ordnung, aber die Küche ist etwas schmutzig. |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | Er ist einer meiner besten Freunde, leider. |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | Ich gehe manchmal mit den Mädchen aus unserer Schule raus. |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Brauchst sonst noch irgendjemand etwas? |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | Kannst du mir dann zeigen, welche Klamotten ich wegräumen kann? |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Weil ich nicht mehr Zeit damit verschwenden möchten ein neues Haus zu finden... |
| That's why the rent is much lower than average. | Deswegen ist die Miete auch viel niedriger als im Durchschnitt. |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | Ich habe nicht gesagt, dass es deine Schuld ist, aber du bist jetzt dran... |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | Tut mir leid, dass ich bei der Eröffnung nicht da war. |
| But for how many people? | Aber für wie viele Personen? |