







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 | |
|---|---|
| Sorry to ask, but are you on your period or something? | Scusa se te lo chiedo, ma hai le tue cose o roba del genere? |
| Does the kid think he is a robot or the robot think it's a kid? | Il ragazzino pensa di essere un robot o il robot pensa di essere un ragazzino? |
| Do we have any paper towels? | Abbiamo della carta assorbente? |
| Anyway, the flight situation is a bit complicated. | Ad ogni modo, la situazione di volo è un po’ complicata. |
| Cate, are you okay? You seem a little bit aggressive. | Cate, stai bene? Mi sembra un po’ aggressiva. |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | Non ho detto che è colpa tua, ma ora è il tuo turno… |
| Is it hay fever? I've got some pills for it! | È febbre da fieno? Ho delle pillole per quella! |
| Thanks for warning me now, that's very helpful! | Grazie per avermi avvertito adesso, molto utile! |
| That's so sad, how old are your parents? | È una cosa molto triste, quanti anni hanno i tuoi genitori? |
| But Bear has got hip dysplasia. | Ma Bear ha la displasia ad un’anca. |
| That's nice... I hope she is not a teenager! How old is she? | Bello… Spero non sia una teenager! Quanti anni ha? |
| Are you serious? | Dici sul serio? |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | E a piano terra abbiamo un accesso migliore al giardino. |
| Hmm.. yes, I need mushrooms, stock, celery... | Hmm… Sì, mi servono funghi, brodo, sedano… |
| I prefer red onions. | Preferisco le cipolle rosse. |
| But he hisses occasionally, is it normal? | Ma ogni tanto soffia, è normale? |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Non sono davvero dell'umore giusto per unirmi a loro. |
| The rice section is over there. | La sezione riso è laggiù. |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | La mia riunione Inizia all'1:00. |
| Sometimes he doesn't even recognize my mum. | A volte non riconosce neppure mia mamma. |