







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 | |
|---|---|
| He is fine. | Sta bene. |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Magari preferiscono i fornelli elettrici nelle case condivise per motivi di sicurezza. |
| Yes, that's the one. | Sì, proprio quello. |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | Marvine Gaye, anni 60, ma questo è il remix. |
| What’s their name? | Come si chiama? |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Ciao amico mio, come stai? |
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Grazie, ma non posso rimanere. |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Perché non voglio sprecare altro tempo a trovare una casa nuova… |
| When I have free time. | Quando ho del tempo libero. |
| It only takes 15 or 20 minutes. | Ci vogliono solo 15 o 20 minuti. |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Dato che fumo, io preferisco sedermi fuori. |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | Non è una semplice riunione che viene cancellata? |
| Yes, my number is 0773***0282. | Si, il mio numero è 0773***0282 |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | Ce ne sono molti altri, ma penso che gumtree.com sia il migliore. |
| I think so, at least there is no aggression. | Penso di sì, almeno non c’è aggressività. |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | Il gatto di chi?… Vuol dire il mio gatto? |
| Is there a knife? | C’è un coltello? |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Sembra un mix di inglese e australiano. |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Mi dispiace, a volte non sono bravo a ricordarmi i nomi! |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh, c*zzo, che razza di rubinetto è questo? |