







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 | |
|---|---|
| There is no table for you, then! | Allora niente tavolo per te! |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Dato che fumo, io preferisco sedermi fuori. |
| I'm really sorry about that! | Mi dispiace davvero tanto! |
| It's very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | È molto difficile parlare con te al telefono in questo momento. |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Sembra un mix di inglese e australiano. |
| No, what is that? | No, che cosa? |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | Nemmeno a me piacciono gli ospedali. |
| 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. |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 gradi è il massimo! |
| 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! |
| Do you think electric stoves are better? | Credi che i fornelli elettrici siano meglio? |
| Who is Mike, darling? | Chi è Mike, cara? |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | Ok, sembra che non siano aggressivi l’uno con l’altro. |
| Unfortunately, I don't have one! Where is yours? | Sfortunatamente, non ne ho una! Dov’è la tua? |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | Ma Tesco è più grande, c’è più varietà di prodotti. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Sto bene, e tu? |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Ciao, che razza di cane hai Mike? |
| Bear is okay with cats, but definitely not with dogs. | Bear va d’accordo con i gatti ma decisamente non con i cani. |
| Is there anything else you want me to do? | C’è qualcos’altro che vuoi che faccia? |