







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 | |
|---|---|
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Grazie, ma non posso rimanere. |
| That's not nice, Mike! | Non è carino, Mike! |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | Scusa, mi sono dimenticato di dirtelo, devi aprire il rubinetto molto delicatamente. |
| I see, I love cooking! | Capisco, io adoro cucinare! |
| I have two more lessons, I finish at three thirty. | Ho ancora due lezioni, finisco alle tre e trenta. |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Poi lui scopre di essere un robot, non un bambino vero. |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | Ti aspetti che faccia diventare la stanza più grande spingendo i muri? |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Ecco a lei signore, il suo scontrino e il suo cashback da £ 20. |
| What kind of music do you like the most? | Che tipo di musica ti piace di più? |
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| This is my boyfriend, Mike. | Questo è il mio ragazzo, Mike. |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Ti senti un po’ meglio ora? |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | È quello con la lingua blu? |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Mi fa piacere sentirlo. |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Io lavoro per lo più fino a tardi la sera, non mi sveglio mai alle sette di mattina. |
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | Bello, gli armadietti sembrano apposto, la panca è ok… |
| Those kind of irresponsible people make me angry! | Questo tipo di persone irresponsabili mi fanno arrabbiare! |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 gradi dovrebbero essere abbastanza. |
| Ta-ta here it is... | Ta-da eccola qui… |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | Quindi ciò significa che non vuoi stare con me? |