







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 | |
|---|---|
| Erm... Yeah... Sure! It's our first anniversary! | Erm… Sì… Certo! È il nostro primo anniversario! |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | E a volte non tornano a casa per giorni. |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | È rimasto solo sabato prima di dover traslocare domenica. |
| What's your maximum monthly budget for the rent? | Qual è il tuo budget mensile massimo per l’affitto? |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | No, lei sta assolutamente bene, grazie al cielo. |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Sì, vuoi dire con i velocipedi? |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh, c*zzo, che razza di rubinetto è questo? |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | L'ho finalmente completato e domani è il grande giorno! |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | I miei coinquilini non puliscono nulla in cucina. |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | Devi premere il pulsante e girare a destra. |
| There is also some cheese, but it's a bit mouldy. | Poi c’è un po’ di formaggio ma ha un po’ di muffa. |
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | Beh, una è 2800, ma le bollette non sono incluse… |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Mi piacerebbe un giorno quando inventeranno il teletrasporto. |
| Who is Mike, darling? | Chi è Mike, cara? |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | Ok, sembra che non siano aggressivi l’uno con l’altro. |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Merda! Non riesco a credere che siano già le 10:30! |
| Well this is how it is... do you want to see upstairs? | Beh adesso è così… Volete vedere il piano di sopra? |
| You can just stay with me, until you find somewhere to live. | Puoi rimanere con me, finché non trovi un posto dove vivere. |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | Sono felice di sentire che abbiamo gusti simili in fatto di musica! |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Ma magari si stanno separando, non lo so ancora. |