







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 | |
|---|---|
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Non mi piace la violenza nella vita vera, mi piace solo nei film. |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Ad ogni modo, questa è Cate e le sue amiche dal lavoro. |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | Sì, il ristorante è molto popolare. |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | Oh sì, è la nostra serata fuori fra ragazze stasera. |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Perché non hai risposto al telefono? |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | Ma a volte mi sento in colpa a non essere là! |
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | A proposito, mi piace il colore delle pareti… Cosa ne pensi? |
| I want to try the sauvignon blanc. | Voglio provare il Sauvignon Blanc. |
| What line is it on? | Su quale line si trova? |
| I don't like smoking in the kitchen. | Non mi piace fumare in cucina. |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Bisogna cambiare aereo ad un certo punto del viaggio. |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | L'ho finalmente completato e domani è il grande giorno! |
| Alright, I think I know who he is... | Giusto, penso di sapere chi è… |
| Sorry, is it possible to see it this Saturday after 2 o'clock? | Scusi, è possibile vederla questo sabato dopo le 2:00? |
| Your perfectly shaped mushrooms are ready! | I tuoi funghi dalla forma perfetta sono pronti! |
| Mike, teriyaki is Japanese, we are at a Chinese restaurant. | Mike, il teriyaki è giapponese, siamo in un ristorante cinese. |
| I need some parsley, but it looks a bit limp. | Mi serve un po’ di prezzemolo ma sembra un po’ moscio. |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | È un’ottima scelta, fanno anche degli ottimi calamari qui. |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Morrison’s non è più vicino? |
| Ah, I'm very sorry, but we're fully booked tonight! | Ah, mi spiace molto, ma stasera siamo al completo! |