







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Vuoi dire il tizio con la barba? |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | Sì, voglio vedere il bagno… |
| I mean, you don't live here with anyone from your family. | Voglio dire, non vivi qui con qualcuno della tua famiglia. |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | Sono le 4 e mezza, quindi siamo giusto in tempo. |
| Maybe she really is allergic to cats, we don't know that. | Magari è davvero allergica ai gatti, non lo sappiamo. |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | Come vuoi farmi sminuzzare le cipolle, grandi o piccole? |
| You're right, but he is not only here to fix things... | Hai ragione, ma non è qui solo per riparare le cose… |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ho una sorella che ha 19 anni. |
| But it has expired and it has a hole in it. | Ma è scaduto e c’è un buco. |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | No, in realtà è addestrato molto bene a fare i bisogni. |
| Which appointment? Do you mean the house in Angel? | Quale appuntamento? Vuoi dire la casa ad Angel? |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Voglio dire, cucini asiatico o altri tipi di cucina? |
| That's right, I think pressure cookers are quite dangerous, too! | Esatto, penso che anche le pentole a pressione siano molto pericolose! |
| Hello, my name is Mike, I'm Cate's boyfriend... | Salve, il mio nome è Mike, sono il ragazzo di Cate… |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Deve essere a letto, di solito anche lui lavora la sera. |
| No, they live in Australia. | No, loro vivono in Australia. |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Ragazzi, questo è Diego. |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | È impossibile per me fare la pendolare dalla zona 9 alla 1 tutti i giorni. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Perché? Mi sembra piuttosto pulito! |
| So do you want me to find a house by myself? | Quindi vuoi che mi trovi una casa da sola? |