







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 | |
|---|---|
| How is your cat? | Come sta il tuo gatto? |
| Yeah, he is keen on moving house... | Sì, è entusiasta all’idea di cambiare casa… |
| How much do you pay for your room? | Quanto paghi tu per la tua stanza? |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | Ok, sembra che non siano aggressivi l’uno con l’altro. |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Perché sono sicura che non servano insetti a Londra! |
| You know tomorrow is my last day. | Sai domani è il mio ultimo giorno. |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | Esatto, non dovremmo mai dimenticare quanto siano irresponsabili i miei coinquilini. |
| Also, he has got a very lovely, cute dog. | Inoltre ha un cane davvero adorabile. |
| We don't have that system in Brighton yet. | Non abbiamo ancora quel sistema a Brighton. |
| Isn't that funny? | Non è divertente? |
| I would like to... But I have other things to do... | Mi piacerebbe… Ma ho anche altre cose da fare… |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Sì, ma il tuo non è così ovvio. |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Sì, ti sento, ma non capisco! |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Chi c**zo è, che ore sono? |
| I think so, he can look around while Bear is not here. | Credo di sì, così può dare un’occhiata in giro mentre Bear non c’è. |
| Who knows, I consider it as nothing more than a hobby. | Chi lo sa, lo considero niente più di un hobby. |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | Non è una semplice riunione che viene cancellata? |
| Why do you think it's weird? | Perché pensi che sia strano? |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| What is it about? | Di cosa parla? |