







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | Ciao, mi spiace molto caro, sono un po’ in ritardo. |
| How much rice do you need? | Di quanto riso hai bisogno? |
| Where are you? | Dove sei? |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Ho solo 3 ore oggi. |
| By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | A proposito, io mi chiamo Mike, e tu? |
| Welcome to the Diamond Duck, do you have a reservation, sir? | Benvenuti al Diamond Duck, ha una prenotazione, signore? |
| Do you want me to put it in the bin? | Vuoi che la butti nella spazzatura? |
| I'm on my way to Brighton, nearly there! | Sto andando a Brighton, sono quasi arrivato! |
| Unfortunately, she is a teenager, she is 19! | Sfortunatamente, è una teenager, ha 19 anni! |
| Also, he has got a very lovely, cute dog. | Inoltre ha un cane davvero adorabile. |
| Where is my f*cking tenner? | Dov’è il mio f*ttuto deca? |
| No, what is that? | No, che cosa? |
| To me, wasting it is weirder! | Per me, non sprecare è più strano! |
| I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, so I have no plan. | Non mi aspettavo succedesse una cosa del genere, quindi non ho un piano. |
| It sounds important. | Sembra importante. |
| Yes, he definitely doesn't like changing places. | Sì, decisamente non gli piace cambiare aria. |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ho una sorella che ha 19 anni. |
| Plus the bathroom and the kitchen are clean. | In più il bagno e la cucina sono puliti. |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo però odia ancora venire dal veterinario! |
| Hey, what happened? Is everything okay? | Ehi, cos’è successo? Va tutto bene? |