







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is she here with you? | Lebt sie hier mit dir? |
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Das ist die letzte Packung und leider hat sie ein Loch. |
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | Öhm, ich komme nicht drauf. Ich denke, es sind mehr als 150 Jahre. |
| Why is that? | Warum nicht? |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | Keine Ahnung. Sie wahrscheinlich in die Mülltonne werfen. |
| I haven't seen her, either, and I don't really want to... | Ich habe sie auch nicht gesehen und ich möchte das auch nicht wirklich... |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Warum? Sieht für mich ziemlich sauber aus! |
| But I think that's only for older women. | Aber ich denke das gilt nur für ältere Frauen. |
| They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | Sie arbeiten normalerweise nicht mehr nach 22 Uhr. |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | Das ist schlecht. Bist du erkältet? |
| Is there a knife? | Gibt es ein Messer? |
| I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | Ich meine, du siehst zu jung aus, um Lehrerin zu sein. |
| It's not for me, it's for the rice, dear! | Er ist nicht für mich, sondern für den Reis mein Lieber! |
| My laptop is in it. | Mein Laptop ist darin. |
| Yeah, I think killing mosquitoes is fair. | Ja, ich denke Stechmücken zu töten ist fair. |
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Danke Papa. Wo ist Bears Leine? |
| How dare he... He is so stupid!!! | Wie kann er es wagen... Er ist so dumm!!! |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalerweise kostet er viel mehr als die anderen. |
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | Das Zimmer ist groß und sonnig und das Bett sieht gemütlich aus! |
| I've checked some, there is nothing I like so far. | Ich habe mir ein paar angesehen, aber bisher gefällt mir nichts. |