







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 | |
|---|---|
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | A proposito, mi piace il colore delle pareti… Cosa ne pensi? |
| Do you have a cigarette? | Hai una sigaretta? |
| What does Diego do? | Che cosa fa Diego? |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | È uno dei miei migliori amici, sfortunatamente. |
| Hmm... actually, we have to boil it. | Hmm… In realtà dobbiamo farlo bollire. |
| Maybe we can get something on the way to the station. | Magari possiamo prendere qualcosa mentre andiamo alla stazione. |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | Ehm, a proposito, dato che siamo sull’argomento… |
| I prefer red onions. | Preferisco le cipolle rosse. |
| I usually take the train. | Di solito prendo il treno. |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Esattamente, quindi pensi che le lumache siano insetti o no? |
| It won't change anything, but reminding me is stressing me out! | Non cambierà nulla, ma ricordarmelo mi fa stressare! |
| You know tomorrow is my last day. | Sai domani è il mio ultimo giorno. |
| I don't like going to hospitals, either. | Nemmeno a me piacciono gli ospedali. |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Ecco a lei signore, il suo scontrino e il suo cashback da £ 20. |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | E a volte non tornano a casa per giorni. |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | Mi dispiace per non essere venuto all’apertura. |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Ehm… Già che hai le mani sporche… |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalmente è molto più costoso degli altri. |
| Are you really asking me that question? | Mi stai davvero facendo questa domanda? |
| And Pogo gets very scared of the crowd and the noise. | E Pogo si spaventa molto a causa della folla e del rumore. |