







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 | |
|---|---|
| It's got some water marks on it! | Es hat Wasserflecken! |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | Hey, was ist passiert? Ist alles in Ordnung? |
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | Sehr gerne. Hier ist das Menü gnädige Frau. |
| Depends on where you look. | Kommt darauf an, wo man sucht. |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Es ist nicht nett so etwas zu einer Frau zu sagen... |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | Nein, er ist eigentlich stubenrein. |
| He hasn't realised that we are at a vet yet. | Er hat es noch nicht gemerkt, dass wir bei einem Tierarzt sind. |
| Do your parents live in London, too? | Leben deine Eltern auch in London? |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Natürlich. Bitte schön, das ist das Badezimmer. |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | Es ist unmöglich für mich täglich zwischen Zone 9 und Zone 1 zu pendeln. |
| Is your dog a Chow Chow? | Ist dein Hund ein Chow-Chow? |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Ich denke nicht, dass es möglich ist mehr Variationen zu finden. |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Hier bitteschön. Hier ist Ihr Kassenzettel und Ihre £20. |
| That's fine, I'm almost ready. | Kein Problem, ich bin fast fertig. |
| I don't think it's normal, do you think it's normal? | Ich denke nicht, dass das normal ist. Denkst du, dass das normal ist? |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Ja, ich höre dich, aber ich verstehe es nicht! |
| Erm... You look about 30? | Hm.... Ungefähr 30? |
| Right! Who wants chardonnay, then? | Okay! Wer möchte dann ein Glas Chardonnay? |
| I'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | Ich rufe ihn jetzt dann an. Willst du etwas anderes? |
| Hello Mike, not much, how are you? | Hallo Mike, ganz gut und dir? |