







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 a little market near the school. | C’è un piccolo alimentari dietro la scuola. |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Io lavoro per lo più fino a tardi la sera, non mi sveglio mai alle sette di mattina. |
| Diego, do you want me to get you anything to eat? | Diego, vuoi che ti prenda qualcosa da mangiare? |
| I don't want to stay in this house anymore! | Non voglio più restare in questa casa! |
| No, no, nothing is wrong, no need to worry, we are all fine... | No, no, non c’è nulla di sbagliato, non devi preoccuparti, va tutto bene… |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Non è una cosa bella da dire a una donna… |
| They are both okay for me. | Entrambi vanno bene per me. |
| What is it about? | Di cosa parla? |
| As I said, it's much easier to open with two people. | Come ho detto, è molto più semplice da aprire con due persone. |
| Okay, that's fine. | Ok va bene. |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Quindi, presumo tu venga dall’Australia. |
| Why don't you get it then? Do you want to see upstairs or not? | Perché non prendete quella allora? Volete vedere piano di sopra o no? |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | Li vedo molto in giro dove lavoro in realtà. |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | Ad ogni modo, cos’altro c’è rimasto da fare adesso? |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Credo che voglia bere un po’ d’acqua. |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | Già, la nostra stanza ha solo una finestra! |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Sembra un mix di inglese e australiano. |
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Questo è l’ultimo e sfortunatamente c’è un buco. |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | Non pensi che due forchette siano abbastanza per noi? |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | E a piano terra abbiamo un accesso migliore al giardino. |