







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 | |
|---|---|
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | Non preoccuparti Mike, penso che questo sia meglio. |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Scusa, non servono le patatine qui… |
| Sometimes he doesn't even recognize my mum. | A volte non riconosce neppure mia mamma. |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | Orario perfetto per vedere una casa… |
| Yeah, the packet is ripped, but it's not overdue. | Già, la confezione è strappata ma non è scaduto. |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | Che brutto, hai il raffreddore? |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Ehilà, sei pronta? |
| It's like, the bus you are waiting for never comes. | È come; l'autobus che stai aspettando non arriva mai. |
| I'm an English teacher. | Sono un'insegnante di inglese. |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Grazie per l’offerta, caro. |
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | La stanza è spaziosa e soleggiata e il letto sembra confortevole! |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Come vanno le cose, tutto bene? |
| Are you serious? | Dici sul serio? |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh no! Sicuri di non avere nulla disponibile? |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | Ti aspetti che faccia diventare la stanza più grande spingendo i muri? |
| Oh really? That's not good. | Oh davvero? Non va bene. |
| Do you have any relatives in London? | Hai dei parenti a Londra? |
| Really? Sade is one of my favourites, too. | Davvero? Sade è anche uno dei miei preferiti. |
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | Sì, è una buona idea! |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Ci sono dei distributori automatici in stazione. |