







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 | |
|---|---|
| Normally, girls check the wine list for half an hour before they order. | Normalmente le ragazze controllano la lista dei vini per mezz’ora prima di ordinare. |
| Thanks Rocco, that's all for now. | Grazie Rocco, è tutto per ora. |
| They also have three big windows in their room! | Hanno anche tre grosse finestre nella loro stanza! |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Voglio dire, cucini asiatico o altri tipi di cucina? |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Non è una cosa bella da dire a una donna… |
| I've only got Saturday left before I have to move on Sunday. | È rimasto solo sabato prima di dover traslocare domenica. |
| I'm really sorry about that! | Mi dispiace davvero tanto! |
| They are both okay for me. | Entrambi vanno bene per me. |
| 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. |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Sono dunque £ 5 di più della stanza più grande! |
| How often do you have free time, then? | E quanto spesso hai del tempo libero allora? |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | No, ho una brutta allergia. |
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Vuoi dire Rebecca e Cecilia? |
| Which appointment? Do you mean the house in Angel? | Quale appuntamento? Vuoi dire la casa ad Angel? |
| I hope she is not a problematic one, then... | Spero non sia un tipo problematico, allora… |
| It's all your fault! I feel so embarrassed now... | È tutta colpa tua! Mi sento così in imbarazzo ora… |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Non capisco perché la chiamano ferie bancaria. |
| The place I am having the meeting is very close to Brighton Pier. | Il luogo dove si svolgerà la riunione è molto vicino al pontile di Brighton. |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalmente è molto più costoso degli altri. |
| Ah, I can't eat the breast, it's too dry for me! | Ah, non posso mangiare il petto, troppo asciutto per me! |