







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 | |
|---|---|
| It makes all of our clothes stink! | Alle unsere Klamotten stinken dadurch! |
| I need to wake him up now! | Ich muss ihn jetzt aufwecken! |
| I wish you all the best. | Ich wünsche dir alles gute. |
| 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. |
| You don’t look like an English teacher to me. | Du siehst mir nicht aus wie eine Englischlehrerin. |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Ich bin wirklich beeindruckt von diesem Bahnhof. |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | Aber eine Packung kostet £2,44 und die andere £1,22. |
| What's your plan, Cate? | Was ist dein Plan, Cate? |
| Is it because it's too violent? | Weil zu viel Gewalt darin vorkommt? |
| Good thanks, I'm fine, too. | Danke, mir geht es auch gut. |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | Ja, es ist ein sehr beliebtes Restaurant. |
| No, it's not okay, I'm screwed now! | Nein, nichts ist in Ordnung. Ich bin jetzt in der Klemme! |
| Come on dear, I know you want me to! | Komm schon Schatz, ich weiß, dass du möchtest, dass ich einziehe! |
| I'm an English teacher. | Ich bin Englischlehrerin. |
| It's all about my lovely little cat, Pogo. | Es geht ausschließlich um meine kleine Liebe Katze Pogo. |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | Oh, sorry! Du machst Dinge nicht gerne sauber. Ich kann es machen. |
| Maybe we can get something on the way to the station. | Wir könnten etwas auf dem Weg zum Bahnhof essen. |
| Um, on this floor, it's only me and a French girl next door. | Hier nur ich und ein französisches Mädchen nebenan. |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Sie hätte ihre Mutter sein können... Wer weiß? |
| What's the time, are we early? | Wie spät ist es? Sind wir zu früh? |