







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 | |
|---|---|
| I don't want to stay in this house anymore! | Non voglio più restare in questa casa! |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | Ma Tesco è più grande, c’è più varietà di prodotti. |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | Esattamente, una chiede 3500, l’altra 3000… |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Ciao amico mio, come stai? |
| You are right, it's probably worth more than one cigarette. | Hai ragione, probabilmente vale più di una sigaretta. |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Poi lui scopre di essere un robot, non un bambino vero. |
| Do you like train rides, too? | Ti piace anche andare in treno? |
| It's £135 per week! | £ 135 a settimana! |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Come sta tua mamma, lei ha qualche problema di salute? |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Va più veloce, ma non vogliamo camminare fino alla stazione della metro. |
| I hope you are aware it's your last 3 days to find a house... | Spero tu ti renda conto che sono i tuoi ultimi 3 giorni per trovare una casa… |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Sì, è meglio non riempire completamente la vasca, perde verso il piano di sotto. |
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | Sì, scusa, tutto quanto sembra sporco, ma credimi, non è colpa mia! |
| What's your plan, Cate? | Che piani hai Cate? |
| I don't know, maybe it helps a bit! | Non lo so, forse un pochino! |
| No, I'm not lying! I never lie. | No non sto mentendo! Non mento mai. |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Sono dunque £ 5 di più della stanza più grande! |
| I think that *hand caught on fire* thing is a joke! | Penso che *la mano prende fuoco* sia una battuta! |
| No, I haven't, I don't know what's yours in the fridge. | No, non so cosa c’è di tuo nel frigo. |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Non capisco perché la chiamano ferie bancaria. |