







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 it possible not to be able to find return tickets? | Ist es möglich keine Fahrscheine für den Rückweg zu finden? |
| Okay, that's fine. | Okay, ist gut. |
| Is it really on the menu? | Steht das wirklich auf der Karte? |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Sicher meine Liebe. Willst du ein Glas oder eine Flasche? |
| Do you want me to wash the wine bottle before I pour it? | Soll ich die Weinflasche waschen, bevor ich dir davon einschenke? |
| I want him to check the heaters in the rooms while he is here! | Ich möchte, dass er sich die Heizungen in den Zimmern ansieht, während er hier ist! |
| Which website do you use? | Welche Webseite verwendest du? |
| My lovely wife always tells me how good your spring rolls are. | Meine reizende Frau erzählt mir immer wie gut ihre Frühlingsröllchen sind. |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | Haben wir einen Mörser und einen Stößel? |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | Er wird pro Stück verkauft. Die kleinen Knoblauchzwiebeln kosten 30p und die Großen 50p. |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Er will auch unsere Miete um 50% erhöhen! |
| Hello dear, how is it going, do you need any help? | Hallo Schatz. Wie läufts? Brauchst du Hilfe? |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Oh, das ist ziemlich viel Geld! |
| Okay, if you say so, I trust you! | Okay, wenn du das meinst, dann vertraue ich dir! |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | Das ist die perfekte Uhrzeit um ein Haus zu besichtigen... |
| It's about a web project. | Es geht um ein Internet-Projekt. |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Ein Zimmer oben ist momentan frei, soweit ich weiß. |
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | Übrigens, ich mag die Farbe der Wände... Was denkst du? |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | Genau, einmal wird 3500 verlangt und beim anderen Haus 3000... |
| Yes, they are all around 2 pounds. | Ja, jeder kostet um die 2 Pfund. |