







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 | |
|---|---|
| Nope, oyster cards are only for transport in London. | No, le oyster card servono solo per i mezzi pubblici a Londra. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia grave. |
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Grazie padre, dov’è il guinzaglio di Bear? |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Scusami, devo andare al bagno. |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | Il gatto di chi?… Vuol dire il mio gatto? |
| Alright, deal! You have 3 days to think, starting now! | Va bene, affare fatto! Hai 3 giorni per pensare, a partire da ora! |
| Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | Ehi Cate! Hai bisogno di qualcosa? |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | È perché gli altri inquilini non vogliono animali? |
| No, she is a uni student in Russia. | No, lei studia all’università in Russia. |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | Bene, vedere tre case in un giorno non è male. |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | Quindi ciò significa che non vuoi stare con me? |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Prima di tutto, è tristissimo vedere soffrire il tuo animale domestico. |
| I'm a web designer. | Sono un Web designer. |
| By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | A proposito, io mi chiamo Mike, e tu? |
| Are you close friends? | Siete buoni amici? |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Non preoccuparti, non sto insieme a Mike. |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Perché altre persone si lamentano che io fumo lì. |
| We don't have that system in Brighton yet. | Non abbiamo ancora quel sistema a Brighton. |
| My lovely wife always tells me how good your spring rolls are. | La mia moglie adorata mi dice sempre quanto sono buoni i vostri involtini primavera. |
| The meeting is not the actual problem! | Il vero problema non è la riunione! |