







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 | |
|---|---|
| How is your cat? | Come sta il tuo gatto? |
| It makes all of our clothes stink! | Fa puzzare tutti i nostri vestiti! |
| It's all about my lovely little cat, Pogo. | Si tratta del mio adorabile gattino, Pogo! |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Ciao, che razza di cane hai Mike? |
| Is your father sick? | Tuo padre è malato? |
| Is that right? | È giusto? |
| Also, one of my friends works there. | Inoltre, ci lavora uno dei miei amici. |
| With gas stoves, someone can leave the gas on, it's too dangerous! | Con i fornelli a gas qualcuno può lasciare il gas acceso, è troppo pericoloso! |
| Yes, she is coming back, but isn't it what I always do? | Sì, lei ritorna, ma non è quello che faccio sempre? |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Guarda, si può vedere un tramonto bellissimo da questo punto. |
| Yes, he is one of them. | Sì, lui è uno di quelli. |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Vuoi dire il tizio con la barba? |
| I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | Controllo di nuovo, ci sono solo due forchette e un cucchiaio! |
| Those kind of irresponsible people make me angry! | Questo tipo di persone irresponsabili mi fanno arrabbiare! |
| Why is that? | Perché? |
| I don't want you to spend a fortune. | Non voglio che tu spenda una fortuna. |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Già, normalmente mi sembra vai al lavoro attorno alle 6:30. |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh no! Sicuri di non avere nulla disponibile? |
| Aren't there four of us dear? | Non siamo in quattro caro? |
| Set times always stress me out. | Gli orari fissi mi provocano sempre stress. |