







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 | |
|---|---|
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | Bene, credo che mi piace molto la casa! |
| 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. |
| I guess so, but I want to finish seeing all the houses today. | Credo di sì, ma voglio finire di vedere tutte le case oggi. |
| Mike, it is a continent! | Mike, è un continente! |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | Non è una cosa bella da fare. |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Huh, Sono un sacco di soldi! |
| Are they older or younger? | Sono più grandi o più piccole? |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Non capisco perché la chiamano ferie bancaria. |
| Nope, as I said before, they live in Australia. | No, come ho detto prima, loro vivono in Australia. |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | Per portare fuori Bear di solito mi ci vuole un'ora. |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Ecco a lei signore, il suo scontrino e il suo cashback da £ 20. |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Non preoccuparti, non sto insieme a Mike. |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Non è una cosa bella da dire a una donna… |
| You need to press the button down and turn it right. | Devi premere il pulsante e girare a destra. |
| These days I'm into 60's, 70's remixes. | In questi giorni mi piacciono i remix anni 60 e 70. |
| Depends on where you look. | Dipende da dove cerchi. |
| The packets have 2 pieces in them. | Le confezioni hanno 2 pezzi dentro. |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo è il mio gattino, c’è qualche problema con questo? |
| Congratulations... But is Pogo a pet's name? | Congratulazioni… Ma Pogo è il nome di un animale domestico? |
| He wants to, but tonight it's impossible. | Vuole farlo, ma stasera non è possibile. |