







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 | |
|---|---|
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Sono dunque £ 5 di più della stanza più grande! |
| You look a bit sad, are you okay? | Sembri un po’ triste, stai bene? |
| Erm... They pay 170 weekly. | Erm… Pagano 170 a settimana. |
| Where are you? | Dove sei? |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | È un… Scusa Mike, cosa fai? |
| What else do we need? | Cos’altro ci serve? |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | L'ho finalmente completato e domani è il grande giorno! |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Naturalmente, il mio nome è Cate e il mio numero è 077… |
| I have two more lessons, I finish at three thirty. | Ho ancora due lezioni, finisco alle tre e trenta. |
| Come on in, here on the ground floor, we have two bedrooms... | Entrate, qui c’è il pianterreno, abbiamo due camere da letto… |
| He is fine. | Sta bene. |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | Marvine Gaye, anni 60, ma questo è il remix. |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Poi lui scopre di essere un robot, non un bambino vero. |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | I miei coinquilini non puliscono nulla in cucina. |
| I hope she is not a problematic one, then... | Spero non sia un tipo problematico, allora… |
| A one year course? What kind of course is it? | Un corso di un anno? Che tipo di corso è? |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Quella è una crepa nella vasca? |
| His name's Sergio. | Si chiama Sergio. |
| Well, instead of chicken you can try the duck, it's yummy! | Beh, invece del pollo puoi provare l’anatra, è gustosa! |
| Thank you, I'm 26. | Grazie, ne ho 26. |