







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | È Leicester Square o Piccadilly Circus? |
| What’s their name? | Come si chiama? |
| It's like, the bus you are waiting for never comes. | È come; l'autobus che stai aspettando non arriva mai. |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Grazie per l’offerta, caro. |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | C’è un’intera confezione da 500 g chiusa. |
| I'm on my way to Brighton, nearly there! | Sto andando a Brighton, sono quasi arrivato! |
| Yeah, that's a good idea. | Sì, è una buona idea. |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Ok, non mi piace cucinare, ma mi piace assaggiare il cibo. |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Anche tu vivi in questa casa? |
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | Oddio, è la seconda cosa che odio fare di più in cucina! |
| Let me check... when is best for you? | Mi faccia controllare… Quando le torna meglio? |
| Do you remember the pub's name? | Ti ricordi il nome del pub? |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Poteva anche essere sua mamma… Chi lo sa? |
| Sorry, look, here is the station. | Scusa, guarda, ecco qui la stazione. |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | No, ho una brutta allergia. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | È difficile trovare tutti gli oggetti manualmente alla cassa fai da te. |
| What else do we need? | Cos’altro ci serve? |
| Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | Oh guarda questo ragazzone, diventa più grande ogni volta che lo vedo! |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Vuole anche aumentare il nostro affitto del 50%! |
| Yes, he is totally fine after resting for a while. | Sì, sta assolutamente bene dopo aver riposato per un po'. |