







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'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | Mi spiace molto, che tipo di malattia è? |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Davvero? Come faccio a svegliarti? |
| I don't think she wants to talk or solve anything! | Non penso che voglia parlare o risolvere niente! |
| Why do you think it's weird? | Perché pensi che sia strano? |
| Oh Jesus Christ... I get it now! That's disgusting... | Oh Gesù Cristo… L’ho capita adesso! È disgustoso… |
| That's right, I think pressure cookers are quite dangerous, too! | Esatto, penso che anche le pentole a pressione siano molto pericolose! |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | Beh, non credo che dobbiamo cuocere troppe cose contemporaneamente. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia un grosso problema per lui. |
| Do you have another one? | Ne hai un altro? |
| Hmm... actually, we have to boil it. | Hmm… In realtà dobbiamo farlo bollire. |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | Sì, io prendo una birra, presumo tu voglia del vino, Cate? |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Vuoi dire il tizio con la barba? |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Huh, Sono un sacco di soldi! |
| No worries, I have got a peeler for you! | Niente paura, ho un pelino per te! |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Attenti al terzo scalino, non è molto stabile. |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Anche tu vivi in questa casa? |
| Also, he has got a very lovely, cute dog. | Inoltre ha un cane davvero adorabile. |
| Yes, of course I remember. | Sì, certo che mi ricordo. |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Ta-da eccola qui… |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | È come se ci fosse il male nascosto dentro di loro! |