







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 | |
|---|---|
| Alright, deal! You have 3 days to think, starting now! | Va bene, affare fatto! Hai 3 giorni per pensare, a partire da ora! |
| Hmm.. yes, we get on really well. | Hmmm... si, andiamo molto d'accordo. |
| I hope he gets well soon. | Spero che possa riprendersi presto. |
| What do you want me to do with them? | Cosa vuoi che ci faccio? |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | La gente porta le posate nella propria stanza e non le riporta indietro! |
| It's a kind of welcoming party for her. | È una specie di festa di benvenuto per lei. |
| I think you wake me up more often than mosquitoes do! | Penso che tu mi svegli più di quanto fanno le zanzare! |
| I've finally completed it and tomorrow is the big day! | L'ho finalmente completato e domani è il grande giorno! |
| Here we go, I'm sure it means they pay much less. | Ci siamo, sono sicuro che significa che pagano molto meno. |
| Except mosquitoes because they ruin my sleep. | Eccetto le zanzare perché mi rovinano il sonno. |
| I hope it’s not serious. | Spero non sia niente di serio. |
| He just moved from Brighton and lives around here. | Si è appena trasferito da Brighton e vive qui vicino. |
| Is it because it's too violent? | È perché è troppo violento? |
| I'm really sorry about that! | Mi dispiace davvero tanto! |
| My lovely wife always tells me how good your spring rolls are. | La mia moglie adorata mi dice sempre quanto sono buoni i vostri involtini primavera. |
| What line is it on? | Su quale line si trova? |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | Quindi decisamente non si tratta di divorzio. |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | Ciao, mi spiace molto caro, sono un po’ in ritardo. |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Ci sono dei distributori automatici in stazione. |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Ma tutti quanti lo chiamano Rocco. |