







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 | |
|---|---|
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Keine Sorge Mike, wie gesagt, das macht er nur, wenn er gestresst ist. |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Es ist schneller, aber wir wollen nicht zur U-Bahn-Haltestelle zu laufen. |
| Excuse me sir, here are your drinks and the menu. | Verzeihung, hier sind Ihre Getränke und die Speisekarte. |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Ich weiß nicht wirklich, was ist deiner? |
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | Egal, du hast also 10 Tage Zeit das Haus zu verlassen. |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Ist Morrison's nicht näher? |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | Wie sieht für dich denn eine Englischlehrerin aus? |
| It sounds like a good deal. | Das hört sich nach einem guten Deal an. |
| 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. |
| Do you have a cigarette? | Hast du eine Zigarette? |
| No, I don't have one! | Nein, ich habe keine! |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | Nein, ich habe echt schlimme Allergien. |
| I'm really sorry to hear that, mate! | Tut mir echt leid das zu hören! |
| I wear some of them, can I check them when I get back? | Ich trage manche davon. Kann ich nachschauen, wenn ich zurück bin? |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | Hallo Leute, wäre es möglich etwas leiser zu sein? |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | Sieht gut aus. Ich denke ich mag das Haus sehr! |
| Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | Ja, es ist tatsächlich sehr wichtig für mich. |
| Nope, it gives me a headache! | Nein, davon bekomme ich Kopfschmerzen! |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Ich habe nicht wirklich Lust, mich ihnen anzuschließen. |
| Is there any other cat around? | Gibt es sonst noch eine andere Katze? |