







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 | |
|---|---|
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Sie hätte ihre Mutter sein können... Wer weiß? |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | Hallo gnädige Frau, sind Sie immer noch da? |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Egal, ich muss auch auf die Toilette gehen... |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | Eigentlich ist es ziemlich dringend für mich. |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Ich würde es bevorzugen draußen zu sitzen, da ich Raucher bin. |
| Let me check... Yes, there are some plates. | Lass mich mal schauen... Ja, es gibt ein paar Teller. |
| But Bear has got hip dysplasia. | Aber Bear hat eine Fehlbildung der Hüfte. |
| Thank you, dear... For helping me to be a liar! | Danke Schatz... Dafür, dass du mir geholfen hast eine Lügnerin zu sein! |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm.. Ich denke er ist abgelaufen. |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Echt? Wie wecke ich dich auf? |
| Look, there is a shop assistant. | Schau, dort ist ein Verkäufer. |
| They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | Sie arbeiten normalerweise nicht mehr nach 22 Uhr. |
| 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! |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | Oben leben Diego und ein britisches Paar daneben. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | Es ist schwierig alle Sachen manuell an der Selbstbedienungskasse zu finden. |
| But I don't know him well. | Aber ich kenne ihn nicht gut. |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | Und manchmal kommen sie tagelang nicht nachhause. |
| 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! |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Ist Morrison's nicht näher? |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Ja, ich denke das Logo sieht in der Mitte viel besser aus. Was denkst du? |