







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 | |
|---|---|
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Naturalmente, il mio nome è Cate e il mio numero è 077… |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | Grazie al cielo non c'è nulla di cui preoccuparsi. |
| How old do I look? | Quanti anni dimostro? |
| I'm just teasing you, dear, 200 degrees is okay! | Ti sto solo stuzzicando mia cara, 200° va bene! |
| In these cases, Pogo stays home alone with no food and no attention. | In questi casi, Pogo rimane a casa da solo senza cibo e senza attenzioni. |
| That's okay, I don't mind. | Va bene, non è un problema. |
| Nope, oyster cards are only for transport in London. | No, le oyster card servono solo per i mezzi pubblici a Londra. |
| But it has expired and it has a hole in it. | Ma è scaduto e c’è un buco. |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | In realtà, è molto urgente per me. |
| To me, wasting it is weirder! | Per me, non sprecare è più strano! |
| Hello, my name is Mike, I'm Cate's boyfriend... | Salve, il mio nome è Mike, sono il ragazzo di Cate… |
| Do you want me to call them? | Vuoi che li chiami io? |
| Very nice! I hope he doesn't do it all the time! | Bello! Spero non lo faccia sempre! |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | No, in realtà è addestrato molto bene a fare i bisogni. |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | È più che abbastanza, ho bisogno anche di un po’ d’aglio. |
| Does the kid think he is a robot or the robot think it's a kid? | Il ragazzino pensa di essere un robot o il robot pensa di essere un ragazzino? |
| How old are you? | Quanti anni hai? |
| I'm an English teacher. | Sono un'insegnante di inglese. |
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Oddio, mi sento così stanca ora. |
| You were explaining why you are here at 07:30 in the morning. | Stavi spiegando perché sei qui alle 7:30 del mattino. |