







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, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Beh, magari possiamo prendere un appartamento con 2 camere da letto. Cosa ne pensi? |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | E per quanto difficile da credere, è pulito. |
| Sorry Mrs. Jones, there is a misunderstanding... | Mi scusi signora Jones, c’è stato un malinteso… |
| I don't know, maybe it helps a bit! | Non lo so, forse un pochino! |
| In the recipe it says 600g. | La ricetta dice 600 g. |
| Where is Flora, isn't she here? | Dov’è Flora, non è qui? |
| Yeah, I think it's a bit early to knock on someone's door! | Sì, penso sia un po’ presto per bussare alla porta di qualcuno! |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | Grazie al cielo non c'è nulla di cui preoccuparsi. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| That's why you have a headache now! | Ecco perché hai mal di testa ora! |
| Because you are in it. | Perché ci sei tu. |
| Are you with your friends? | Sei con i tuoi amici? |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Ecco a lei signore, il suo scontrino e il suo cashback da £ 20. |
| Thank you very much! | Grazie mille! |
| I think you wake me up more often than mosquitoes do! | Penso che tu mi svegli più di quanto fanno le zanzare! |
| The ones at the bottom look fresher. | Quello in fondo sembra più fresco. |
| 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? |
| It's the second one from the top. | È il secondo da sopra. |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | Ma… Non sono brava a mentire… |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Lei è mezza giapponese, mezza australiana. |