







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 | |
|---|---|
| Anyway, my lesson is starting now, I have to go. | Ad ogni modo, la mia lezione sta per iniziare, devo andare. |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Non preoccuparti, non sto insieme a Mike. |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | No, io sono un agente immobiliare. |
| Hi there, it's not Dick, it's Nick... Starts with N. | Ehilà, non mi chiamo Dick, ma Nick… Inizia con la N. |
| They also have three big windows in their room! | Hanno anche tre grosse finestre nella loro stanza! |
| I don't think you really want me to stay here anymore! | Non penso che tu voglia più che io rimanga qui! |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | È l’idraulico, cara, a quanto pare è ostruito. |
| I was just joking, how are you? | Stavo solo scherzando, come stai? |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Non penso, i treni partono ogni 20 minuti circa. |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Ragazzi, questo è Diego. |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | C’è un robot nel corpo di un ragazzino, ma lui non sa di essere un robot. |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Ho solo 3 ore oggi. |
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Ma quale pulsante? Non si vede quale pulsante controlla cosa! |
| Oh, sorry, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to order what I want! | Oh, scusa, non sapevo che non mi era permesso ordinare quello che voglio! |
| Oh, come on dear, I was just joking, you know that... | Oh, andiamo cara, stavo solo scherzando, lo sai… |
| Erm... You look about 30? | Ehm... Ne dimostri circa 30? |
| Depends on where you look. | Dipende da dove cerchi. |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Penso che una stanza sia vuota al momento al piano di sopra. |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | Sono felice di sentire che abbiamo gusti simili in fatto di musica! |