







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, she is coming back, but isn't it what I always do? | Sì, lei ritorna, ma non è quello che faccio sempre? |
| Do we have a sieve? | Abbiamo un colino? |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | In realtà, è molto urgente per me. |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | Quella ha una stanza singola, io voglio una doppia. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia grave. |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Sì, ma la stanza è quadrata e ci sono solo quattro oggetti principali dentro. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Non sono stata là prima, dov’è? |
| Do you want me to put the chicken into the cooker first? | Prima vuoi che metta il pollo nella pentola a pressione? |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Attenti al terzo scalino, non è molto stabile. |
| Does anyone else want something to drink? | Qualcun altro vuole qualcosa da bere? |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | C’è un’intera confezione da 500 g chiusa. |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | In questi giorni vado molto spesso in quel pub. |
| Oh hello... I forgot to mention, it's also a very special occasion... | Oh pronto… Ho dimenticato di dire, è anche un’occasione molto speciale… |
| Is that you, Mike? | Sei tu, Mike? |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | Li vedo molto in giro dove lavoro in realtà. |
| Is that okay for you? | Va bene per te? |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Chi c**zo è, che ore sono? |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Perché altre persone si lamentano che io fumo lì. |
| Sorry, madam, Friday is one of our busiest nights! | Mi spiace, signora, venerdì è una delle nostre sere più affollate! |