







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Meinst du den Kerl mit dem Bart? |
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Ja, Bear isst jeden Tag eineinhalb Katzen zum Frühstück. |
| I'm so sorry, but we need to cancel our meeting today. | Es tut mir leid, aber wir müssen unser Treffen heute absagen. |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | Es freut mich zu hören, dass wir einen ähnlichen Musikgeschmack haben! |
| Also, one of my friends works there. | Einer meiner Freunde arbeitet auch dort. |
| Oh my god! It’s almost 12 o’clock. | Oh mein Gott! Es ist fast 12 Uhr. |
| I hate them buzzing around my ear all night long and waking me up. | Ich hasse es, wenn sie die ganze Nacht an meinem Ohr herumfliegen und mich aufwecken. |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | Mein Meeting beginnt um 13 Uhr. |
| Good thanks, I'm fine, too. | Danke, mir geht es auch gut. |
| What line is it on? | Auf welcher Linie liegt Camden? |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | Oh, sorry! Du machst Dinge nicht gerne sauber. Ich kann es machen. |
| Hello Beatrix, it's me, Cate. | Hallo Beatrix, ich bin es, Cate. |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | Und die Menschenmenge und die Geräusche erschrecken Pogo sehr. |
| Do you want the tray in the middle? | Möchtest du das Blech in der Mitte? |
| Do you want me to get you a glass of wine? | Soll ich dir ein Glas Wein holen? |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Ja, aber der Raum ist quadratisch und es gibt nur vier große Objekte darin. |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear sitzt hier mit mir. Sein Pimmel ist draußen. |
| Erm... You look about 30? | Hm.... Ungefähr 30? |
| How is there four of us? | Inwiefern sind wir zu viert? |
| Maybe we can get something on the way to the station. | Wir könnten etwas auf dem Weg zum Bahnhof essen. |