







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 | |
|---|---|
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Nicht lange. Mein Unterricht beginnt um 12:30 Uhr. |
| Excuse me sir, here are your drinks and the menu. | Verzeihung, hier sind Ihre Getränke und die Speisekarte. |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Aber stimmt, manche Chow-Chows sind ein bisschen aggressiv. |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Hast du Russland gesagt? Das ist ungewöhnlich! |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | Sorry, ich habe vergessen zu erwähnen, dass man den Wasserhahn sehr vorsichtig aufdrehen muss. |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear sitzt hier mit mir. Sein Pimmel ist draußen. |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Verdammt! Ich kann nicht glauben, dass es schon 22:30 Uhr ist! |
| Do we have a sieve? | Haben wir ein Sieb? |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | Ähm, du kannst ihnen sagen, dass es unser Hochzeitsjubiläum ist. |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Jedenfalls ist die Flugsituation etwas kompliziert. |
| But I don't think I can use them all, there are too many! | Aber ich glaube nicht, dass ich alle verwenden kann. Es sind zu viele! |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | Ich habe einen Termin beim Innenministerium wegen der Verlängerung meines Visums. |
| Maybe I know your friend. | Vielleicht kennen ich deinen Freund. |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | Meine Mitbewohner machen nichts in der Küche sauber. |
| I know, I thought you might like to have it with her alone. | Ich weiß, aber ich dachte du würdest gerne mit ihr alleine frühstücken. |
| There is no table for you, then! | Dann gibt es keinen Tisch für dich! |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | Du musst auf den Knopf drücken und ihn nach rechts drehen. |
| Ah, I can't eat the breast, it's too dry for me! | Ah, ich kann die Brust nicht essen. Sie ist mir zu trocken! |
| He just moved from Brighton and lives around here. | Er ist gerade erst aus Brighton hergezogen und lebt in der Nähe. |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | Es gibt noch viele andere, aber ich denke gumtree.com ist die beste Seite. |