







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 | |
|---|---|
| My laptop is in it. | C'è dentro il mio laptop. |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | E Pogo si spaventa molto a causa della folla e del rumore. |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | È l’idraulico, cara, a quanto pare è ostruito. |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | Ho un appuntamento con gli affari interni per l’estensione del mio visto. |
| Does the kid think he is a robot or the robot think it's a kid? | Il ragazzino pensa di essere un robot o il robot pensa di essere un ragazzino? |
| Bear is okay with cats, but definitely not with dogs. | Bear va d’accordo con i gatti ma decisamente non con i cani. |
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | È Leicester Square o Piccadilly Circus? |
| Anyway, you only have 10 days left to leave that house. | Ad ogni modo, ti rimangono solo 10 giorni per lasciare quella casa. |
| Is that what you want to do? | È quello che vuoi fare? |
| Oh really? That's not good. | Oh davvero? Non va bene. |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Già, hai ragione, è più utile quando hai meno cose. |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Sono dunque £ 5 di più della stanza più grande! |
| I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | Controllo di nuovo, ci sono solo due forchette e un cucchiaio! |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | So cucinare, naturalmente, ma solo quando mi va. |
| By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | A proposito, io mi chiamo Mike, e tu? |
| We are back, where is Bear? | Siamo tornati, dov’è Bear? |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, incredibile, è tua? |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm… Mi sa che è scaduto. |
| Do you like red or white onions? | Ti piacciono le cipolle rosse o bianche? |
| Yeah, I wonder if we share the same taste in movies! | Già, mi domando se abbiamo lo stesso gusto nei film! |