







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 your plan, Cate? | Che piani hai Cate? |
| Is it because it's too violent? | È perché è troppo violento? |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | Ma una costa £ 2,44 e l’altra £ 1,22. |
| You're right, but he is not only here to fix things... | Hai ragione, ma non è qui solo per riparare le cose… |
| See you Mike, hope to see you again. | Ci vediamo Mike, spero di rivederti. |
| Is it a single or a double room? | È una stanza singola o doppia? |
| 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? |
| Do you like train rides, too? | Ti piace anche andare in treno? |
| Do you need to wake up early tomorrow or something? | Devi svegliarti presto domani o cose del genere? |
| 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. |
| Really? Sade is one of my favourites, too. | Davvero? Sade è anche uno dei miei preferiti. |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | È un’ottima scelta, fanno anche degli ottimi calamari qui. |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | È difficile trovare tutti gli oggetti manualmente alla cassa fai da te. |
| I guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | A quanto pare dovrai cambiare i tuoi piani di cucina adesso! |
| It's got some water marks on it! | Ci sono delle macchie di calcare sopra! |
| Okay, the total is £36.74, sir. | Ok, il totale è £ 36,74 signore. |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Sei sicura che venga dall’Australia? |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | Poteva anche essere sua mamma… Chi lo sa? |
| Hm, okay... I think I got it, is it like Pinocchio? | Hm, ok… Penso di aver capito, è come Pinocchio? |
| Oh look at this big boy, he gets bigger everytime I see him! | Oh guarda questo ragazzone, diventa più grande ogni volta che lo vedo! |