







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? |
| Is that right? | Stimmt das? |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Wie sieht es bei deiner Mutter aus, hat sie irgendwelche gesundheitlichen Probleme? |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Ja, meinst du Dreiräder? |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Sie ist halb Japanerin, halb Australierin. |
| Until you just light your cigarette. | Bis du dir eine Zigarette anzündest. |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Sie hätte ihre Mutter sein können... Wer weiß? |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Lebst du auch in diesem Haus? |
| Why? What's wrong? | Warum, was stimmt nicht? |
| Okay, I want to have something similar then! | Okay, ich möchte dann etwas Ähnliches haben! |
| I need to wake him up now! | Ich muss ihn jetzt aufwecken! |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalerweise kostet er viel mehr als die anderen. |
| It's about a web project. | Es geht um ein Internet-Projekt. |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Klar, unsere Küche wurde neu renoviert... |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Ich arbeite meistens bis spät in die Nacht. Ich stehe nie um 07:00 Uhr früh auf. |
| Hmm.. yes, we get on really well. | Hmm... ja, wir verstehen uns wirklich gut. |
| Okay, how long is it, do you know? | Okay, wie lang ist sie? Weißt du das? |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Warum gehst du nicht an dein Handy? |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | Haben wir einen Mörser und einen Stößel? |
| A one year course? What kind of course is it? | Ein einjähriger Kurs? Um was für einen Kurs handelt es sich? |