







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 | |
|---|---|
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | Beh, una è 2800, ma le bollette non sono incluse… |
| I am half-British and half-Australian. | Sono mezza inglese e mezza australiana. |
| What do you think, dear, do you like it, too? | Cosa ne pensi, caro, piace anche a te? |
| I wish you all the best. | Ti auguro tutto il meglio |
| I will ask him to take Bear out, so we can have breakfast. | Gli chiederò di portare fuori Bear, così noi possiamo fare colazione. |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Ad ogni modo, la situazione di volo è un po’ complicata. |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Non penso sia possibile trovare delle altre variazioni. |
| It says best before 25th of February. | Dice consumarsi preferibilmente entro il 25 febbraio. |
| How are you? | Tu come stai? |
| Hello, do you have a Tesco Clubcard sir? | Salve, ha una Tessera Socio Tesco signore? |
| They also have three big windows in their room! | Hanno anche tre grosse finestre nella loro stanza! |
| Why don't you get it then? Do you want to see upstairs or not? | Perché non prendete quella allora? Volete vedere piano di sopra o no? |
| No, they live in Australia. | No, loro vivono in Australia. |
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Scusa se te lo chiedo, ma hai le tue cose o roba del genere? |
| Do you have their number? | Hai il loro numero? |
| Do we have any bread to toast? | C’è un po’ di pane per i toast? |
| Depends on where you look. | Dipende da dove cerchi. |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Dato che fumo, io preferisco sedermi fuori. |
| Upstairs, there is Diego and a British couple next to him. | Di sopra, c’è Diego e una coppia inglese vicino a lui. |
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | No, ma è quello che mi va di mangiare… |