







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 think it's normal, do you think it's normal? | Non penso sia normale, tu pensi sia normale? |
| Until you just light your cigarette. | Fino a quando non ti accendi una sigaretta. |
| Yes, that's the one. | Sì, proprio quello. |
| Are you close friends? | Siete buoni amici? |
| I'm really sorry about that! | Mi dispiace davvero tanto! |
| Okay, that's fine. | Ok va bene. |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | Non so, probabilmente la metterei nel cestino. |
| Is it possible not to be able to find return tickets? | È possibile non riuscire a trovare biglietti di ritorno? |
| Yeah, that's a good idea! | Sì, è una buona idea! |
| Her name is Ayumi! | Si chiama Ayumi! |
| Yeah, I've got it! | Sì, ce l’ho! |
| No, but I definitely don't want to live in that house anymore! | No, ma decisamente non voglio più vivere in quella casa! |
| Is that right? | È giusto? |
| I need some parsley, but it looks a bit limp. | Mi serve un po’ di prezzemolo ma sembra un po’ moscio. |
| I have no idea... But I hope they have a good excuse! | Non ne ho idea… Ma spero che abbia una buona scusa! |
| Thanks father, where is Bear's lead? | Grazie padre, dov’è il guinzaglio di Bear? |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Quindi voglio cucinare quanto più possibile adesso. |
| Is your father sick? | Tuo padre è malato? |
| Come on in, here on the ground floor, we have two bedrooms... | Entrate, qui c’è il pianterreno, abbiamo due camere da letto… |
| Um, I don't feel like eating anything but fish today. | Um, oggi mi va di mangiare soltanto pesce. |