







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 | |
|---|---|
| Let's calculate, I pay 135 per week for one person... | Facciamo i conti, io pago 135 a settimana per una persona… |
| Is there any other cat around? | C’è un qualche altro gatto in giro? |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Certo, la nostra cucina è stata rinnovata di recente… |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | E dobbiamo pesare tutto quanto noi, eccetera. |
| It's very difficult for me to go there more than once a year. | È molto difficile per me andare là più di una volta all’anno. |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Naturalmente, ecco qui, questo è il bagno. |
| Come on in, here on the ground floor, we have two bedrooms... | Entrate, qui c’è il pianterreno, abbiamo due camere da letto… |
| It's a double room plus we get a cleaner once a week. | È una stanza doppia più c’è il servizio pulizia una volta a settimana. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia grave. |
| Thanks Rocco, that's all for now. | Grazie Rocco, è tutto per ora. |
| I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | Controllo di nuovo, ci sono solo due forchette e un cucchiaio! |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | Devi premere il pulsante e girare a destra. |
| No, it doesn't look clean, do you want me to clean it? | No, non sembra pulito, vuoi che lo pulisca io? |
| Is it really on the menu? | C’è davvero sul menu? |
| Well, it's about a kid, I mean a robot. | Beh, parla di un ragazzino, voglio dire un robot. |
| But for how many people? | Ma per quante persone? |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Ciao amico mio, come stai? |
| Okay, the total is £36.74, sir. | Ok, il totale è £ 36,74 signore. |
| It sounds important. | Sembra importante. |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | No, ho una brutta allergia. |