







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 there anything else you want me to do? | C’è qualcos’altro che vuoi che faccia? |
| It's about a web project. | Si tratta di un progetto web. |
| Set times always stress me out. | Gli orari fissi mi provocano sempre stress. |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | Nemmeno a me piacciono gli ospedali. |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | No, come ho detto prima, loro vivono in Australia. |
| Okay, maybe it's better for you to have some rest. | Ok, magari è meglio se ti riposi un po’. |
| But it has expired and it has a hole in it. | Ma è scaduto e c’è un buco. |
| No, because she is mental and can harm Pogo or Bear! | No, perché è pazza e può fare male a Pogo e Bear! |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | Ehi, cos’è successo? Va tutto bene? |
| As a result, he starts pooping and peeing all over the house. | Come risultato, inizia a fare la cacca e la pipì in tutta la casa. |
| What's the date today? | Che giorno è oggi? |
| What's wrong with him? | Che cos'ha che non va? |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | Che bello, cosa cucini di solito? |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Magari preferiscono i fornelli elettrici nelle case condivise per motivi di sicurezza. |
| I'm hungry, but it's better to have something when we meet the guys. | Ho fame, ma è meglio prendere qualcosa quando incontriamo i ragazzi. |
| I need to wake him up now! | Devo andare a svegliarlo! |
| Yes, I still don't do it. | Sì, continuo a non farlo. |
| Diego, do you want me to get you anything to eat? | Diego, vuoi che ti prenda qualcosa da mangiare? |
| But before we go, can you call them and ask if they are okay with pets? | Ma prima di andare, puoi chiamarli e chiedere se hanno problemi con gli animali domestici? |
| Well, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Beh, magari possiamo prendere un appartamento con 2 camere da letto. Cosa ne pensi? |