







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 | |
|---|---|
| So, it's obvious you have no clue how much renting a house costs. | Quindi, è ovvio che non hai idea di quanto costi affittare una casa. |
| 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. |
| Maybe she really is allergic to cats, we don't know that. | Magari è davvero allergica ai gatti, non lo sappiamo. |
| I'm an English teacher. | Sono un'insegnante di inglese. |
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | Giusto, sono sicuro che non pagano così tanto! |
| What's your plan, Cate? | Che piani hai Cate? |
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Grazie padre, dov’è il guinzaglio di Bear? |
| Shall we meet at the train station, or do you want me to pick you up from your house? | Vogliamo vederci alla stazione ferroviaria o vuoi che passi a prenderti a casa tua? |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Mi dispiace, a volte non sono bravo a ricordarmi i nomi! |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Davvero? Non vorrei rovinare i tuoi piani, ma… |
| It's very difficult for me to go there more than once a year. | È molto difficile per me andare là più di una volta all’anno. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Naturalmente, ecco qui, questo è il bagno. |
| Are you serious? | Dici sul serio? |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | Ehm, non ne abbiamo, ma c’è il pane di qualcun altro. |
| And he looks about 3 years old now. | E sembra avere circa 3 anni ora. |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | La gente porta le posate nella propria stanza e non le riporta indietro! |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Lo fa solo quando è estremamente stressato! |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | No, in realtà è addestrato molto bene a fare i bisogni. |
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Questo è l’ultimo e sfortunatamente c’è un buco. |
| But Bear has got hip dysplasia. | Ma Bear ha la displasia ad un’anca. |