







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's the date today? | Che giorno è oggi? |
| It's not much less... There is a slight difference! | Non è molto meno… C’è una lieve differenza! |
| No worries, it's free for you today. | Non preoccuparti, per te oggi è gratis. |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | Sono le 4 e mezza, quindi siamo giusto in tempo. |
| Yes, I'm here waiting for good news. | Sì, sono qui che aspetto la buona notizia. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 gradi dovrebbero essere abbastanza. |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | Il resto della casa va bene, ma la cucina è un po’ sporca. |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | Sì, il ristorante è molto popolare. |
| Okay, here we are, this is Honeybrook Street. | Ok, eccoci qui, questa è Honeybrook Street. |
| You are right, is there anything you want me to buy on the way? | Hai ragione, c’è qualcosa che vuoi che compri sulla strada? |
| We're out tonight for Laura. | Stasera siamo usciti per Laura. |
| How often do you have free time, then? | E quanto spesso hai del tempo libero allora? |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Fammi controllare, ci serve solo il burro. |
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Grazie, ma non posso rimanere. |
| But I don't know him well. | Ma non lo conosco bene. |
| So, I guess you are from Australia. | Quindi, presumo tu venga dall’Australia. |
| Okay, how much salt do you want me to add? | Ok, quanto sale vuoi che ci metta? |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Vai spesso al Windmill? |
| What’s their name? | Come si chiama? |
| Hm, it's comes to roughly £150 a week, it's about the same. | Hm, fanno circa £ 150 a settimana, più o meno lo stesso. |