







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 | |
|---|---|
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Sai, ad alcune persone non piace mettere il proprio annuncio su Internet. |
| I haven't seen her, either, and I don't really want to... | Nemmeno io l’ho vista, e non voglio proprio farlo… |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Salve ragazzi, tu devi essere Cate, io sono Joseph. |
| But before we go, can you call them and ask if they are okay with pets? | Ma prima di andare, puoi chiamarli e chiedere se hanno problemi con gli animali domestici? |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Non posso chiamarlo al momento perché il suo telefono è irraggiungibile. |
| 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? |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | C’è un’intera confezione da 500 g chiusa. |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | Quindi decisamente non si tratta di divorzio. |
| It's in Islington, zone-1, it's the best place for me so far. | È ad Islington, zona 1, per me il luogo migliore finora. |
| It makes all of our clothes stink! | Fa puzzare tutti i nostri vestiti! |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | E ci rimangono un sacco di funghi da usare. |
| I hope your friends don't mind. | Spero che alle tue amiche non dispiaccia. |
| Sorry, they don't serve chips here... | Scusa, non servono le patatine qui… |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | Sì, voglio vedere il bagno… |
| That's nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | Bello, mi piace la musica e il testo. |
| Good boy, Beary! See, he is just a little friend. | Bravo Beary! Vedi, è solo un piccolo amico. |
| Yes, that's a good idea. | Sì, è una buona idea. |
| No, because she is mental and can harm Pogo or Bear! | No, perché è pazza e può fare male a Pogo e Bear! |
| Then you can decide if I'm a good cook or not! | Poi deciderai se sono un buon cuoco o no! |
| Yeah, I wonder if we share the same taste in movies! | Già, mi domando se abbiamo lo stesso gusto nei film! |