







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 | |
|---|---|
| What else do we need? | Cos’altro ci serve? |
| Yes, I think she's great! | Sì, penso sia fantastica! |
| Can you stop acting like I always ask for money? | Puoi smetterla di comportarti come se chiedessi sempre dei soldi? |
| Yes, there are some knives, too. | Sì, ci sono anche dei coltelli. |
| I don't know, maybe it helps a bit! | Non lo so, forse un pochino! |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| Don't worry Diego, it's not related to you! | Non preoccuparti Diego, non ha niente a che vedere con te! |
| Who knows, I consider it as nothing more than a hobby. | Chi lo sa, lo considero niente più di un hobby. |
| My meeting starts at one o'clock. | La mia riunione Inizia all'1:00. |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | Mike, il teriyaki è giapponese, siamo in un ristorante cinese. |
| Okay, the total is £36.74, sir. | Ok, il totale è £ 36,74 signore. |
| No, it's not mine, I think it belongs to the house. | No, non è mia, penso appartenga alla casa. |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Sai, ad alcune persone non piace mettere il proprio annuncio su Internet. |
| But I don't know him well. | Ma non lo conosco bene. |
| Hi girls, this is Mike. | Ciao ragazze, questo è Mike. |
| My laptop is in it. | C'è dentro il mio laptop. |
| It's the second one from the top. | È il secondo da sopra. |
| My husband and I really appreciate it. | Mio marito ed io lo apprezziamo molto. |
| Okay, I want to have something similar then! | Ok, allora voglio qualcosa di simile! |
| Alright, deal! You have 3 days to think, starting now! | Va bene, affare fatto! Hai 3 giorni per pensare, a partire da ora! |