







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! |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Ma la loro stanza è quasi il doppio della dimensione della nostra stanza! |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Ehilà, sei pronta? |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | È quello con la lingua blu? |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Davvero? Come faccio a svegliarti? |
| I really don't want to see her again! | Non voglio proprio vederla di nuovo! |
| Everything is the same as it's advertised. | Tutto quanto è come descritto nell’annuncio. |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | E per quanto difficile da credere, è pulito. |
| Do you want me to wash the wine bottle before I pour it? | Vuoi che lavi la bottiglia di vino prima di versarlo? |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Ehm... Non è lì? |
| Are you going to say sorry for saying I am stupid then? | Chiederai scusa per aver detto che sono stupido allora? |
| I'm sorry but I have bad news about the room... | Mi dispiace ma ho cattive notizie sulla stanza… |
| I haven't been there before, where is it? | Non sono stata là prima, dov’è? |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Bello! Spero non lo faccia sempre! |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | In questi giorni vado molto spesso in quel pub. |
| You never pick Bear's poo up from the pavement. | Non raccogli mai la cacca di Bear dal marciapiede. |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | Conosci il pub dietro l'angolo? |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | L’altra è 3000, ma include tutte le bollette. |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Poi lui scopre di essere un robot, non un bambino vero. |
| I was just joking, how are you? | Stavo solo scherzando, come stai? |