







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 | |
|---|---|
| I don't think you really want me to stay here anymore! | Non penso che tu voglia più che io rimanga qui! |
| That's where Diego works, too! | È anche dove lavora Diego! |
| 5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | Casa indipendente con 5 camere da letto su Lyme Street, £ 2800, corretto? |
| I hate them buzzing around my ear all night long and waking me up. | Odio quando mi ronzano intorno alle orecchie per tutta la notte e mi svegliano. |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Fammi controllare, ci serve solo il burro. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Naturalmente, ecco qui, questo è il bagno. |
| As they say, time is the best medicine. | Come dicono il tempo è la miglior medicina. |
| My husband and I really appreciate it. | Mio marito ed io lo apprezziamo molto. |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Ma magari si stanno separando, non lo so ancora. |
| That would be great! Do you think it's possible? | Sarebbe fantastico! Pensi sia possibile? |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Mi fa piacere sentirlo. |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | Abbiamo un mortaio e pestello? |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Non posso chiamarlo al momento perché il suo telefono è irraggiungibile. |
| Is that you, Mike? | Sei tu, Mike? |
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Non molto, le mie lezioni iniziano alle 12:30. |
| 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. |
| Don't worry, we don't do it everyday. | Non preoccuparti, non lo facciamo tutti i giorni. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 gradi dovrebbero essere abbastanza. |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | Non so, probabilmente la metterei nel cestino. |
| Maybe I know your friend. | Magari conosco il tuo amico. |