







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 | |
|---|---|
| So it comes to 2,800 a month! | Quindi sarebbero 2800 al mese! |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh no! Sicuri di non avere nulla disponibile? |
| I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names sometimes! | Mi dispiace, a volte non sono bravo a ricordarmi i nomi! |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Sì, vuoi dire con i velocipedi? |
| What is it about? | Di cosa parla? |
| It's hard to believe, but we have a pressure cooker in the house. | Difficile a credersi ma abbiamo una pentola a pressione in casa. |
| Yes, she is coming back, but isn't it what I always do? | Sì, lei ritorna, ma non è quello che faccio sempre? |
| Of course, I researched it well, it's 525 metres. | Naturalmente, ho fatto le mie ricerche, è lungo 525 m. |
| No, I'm not lying! I never lie. | No non sto mentendo! Non mento mai. |
| Whose cat?... Do you mean my cat? | Il gatto di chi?… Vuol dire il mio gatto? |
| That's why they're 50% off. | Ecco perché sono al 50% di sconto. |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | I miei coinquilini non puliscono nulla in cucina. |
| Why? What's wrong? | Perché, che c'è che non va? |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | C’è un robot nel corpo di un ragazzino, ma lui non sa di essere un robot. |
| You are so realistic dear, where is your wedding ring? | Sei molto realistica cara, dov’è la tua fede nuziale? |
| That's not nice, Mike! | Non è carino, Mike! |
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | Sì, è una buona idea! |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Ma è vero, alcuni Chow sono un po’ aggressivi. |
| There is nothing much left to do, there are only bits and pieces. | Non c’è rimasto molto da fare, solo qualcosina. |
| The recipe is for 6 people. | La ricetta è per 6 persone. |