







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you really think it looks like we have a cleaner? | Pensi davvero che possiamo permetterci un addetto alle pulizie? |
| 5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | Casa indipendente con 5 camere da letto su Lyme Street, £ 2800, corretto? |
| Welcome to the Diamond Duck, do you have a reservation, sir? | Benvenuti al Diamond Duck, ha una prenotazione, signore? |
| It's very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | È molto difficile parlare con te al telefono in questo momento. |
| Do you have a cigarette? | Hai una sigaretta? |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Ti senti un po’ meglio ora? |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Vuoi dire Rebecca e Cecilia? |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Ad ogni modo, questa è Cate e le sue amiche dal lavoro. |
| That would be great! Do you think it's possible? | Sarebbe fantastico! Pensi sia possibile? |
| It doesn't matter, I think they are the same distance away. | Non importa, credo siano alla stessa distanza. |
| But... I'm not good at lying... | Ma… Non sono brava a mentire… |
| My favourite movie is Pulp Fiction. | Il mio film preferito è Pulp Fiction. |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | La gente porta le posate nella propria stanza e non le riporta indietro! |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh f*nculo, devo andare ora… |
| I like girls' nights out. | Mi piacciono le serate fuori fra ragazze. |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Vuole anche aumentare il nostro affitto del 50%! |
| How is your cat? | Come sta il tuo gatto? |
| Because you are in it. | Perché ci sei tu. |
| Do we have a mortar and pestle? | Abbiamo un mortaio e pestello? |
| So, it's obvious you have no clue how much renting a house costs. | Quindi, è ovvio che non hai idea di quanto costi affittare una casa. |