







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 | |
|---|---|
| Well, that's another problem! | Beh, quello è un altro problema! |
| Can you show me which clothes I need to put away, then? | Puoi mostrarmi quali vestiti devo mettere via, allora? |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Quindi, presumo tu venga dall’Australia. |
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | È Leicester Square o Piccadilly Circus? |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Per portare fuori Bear di solito mi ci vuole un'ora. |
| Is there any other cat around? | C’è un qualche altro gatto in giro? |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | A volte esco con le ragazze della scuola. |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | Come vuoi farmi sminuzzare le cipolle, grandi o piccole? |
| What do you think about him, Cate? | Cosa ne pensi di lui Cate? |
| Toby! This is Cate, she is my... friend, from London. | Toby! Questa è Cate, lei è la mia… amica, da Londra. |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Non ho idea di cosa sia il riso arborio! |
| Alright, I think I know who he is... | Giusto, penso di sapere chi è… |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo è il mio gattino, c’è qualche problema con questo? |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | Esatto, non dovremmo mai dimenticare quanto siano irresponsabili i miei coinquilini. |
| I see, I love cooking! | Capisco, io adoro cucinare! |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | Orario perfetto per vedere una casa… |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Quindi voglio cucinare quanto più possibile adesso. |
| I can't call him at the moment because his phone is unreachable. | Non posso chiamarlo al momento perché il suo telefono è irraggiungibile. |
| We all love bank holidays. | A tutti noi piacciono le ferie bancarie. |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | Ehm, non ne abbiamo, ma c’è il pane di qualcun altro. |