







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 | |
|---|---|
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | Perché altre persone si lamentano che io fumo lì. |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | C'è tutto il mio lavoro in quel laptop e non ho nessun backup! |
| Sometimes he doesn't even recognize my mum. | A volte non riconosce neppure mia mamma. |
| It's very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | È molto difficile parlare con te al telefono in questo momento. |
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | Oddio, è la seconda cosa che odio fare di più in cucina! |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Ci sono dei distributori automatici in stazione. |
| Where are you? | Dove sei? |
| That's where Diego works, too! | È anche dove lavora Diego! |
| Yeah, it's open here already... | Sì, è già qui aperta… |
| Isn't it just a simple meeting cancellation? | Non è una semplice riunione che viene cancellata? |
| That's true! How much is your rent? | Vero! Quant’è il tuo affitto? |
| The recipe is not from the internet, it's from a Jamie Oliver book. | La ricetta non viene da Internet, è di un libro di Jaimie Oliver. |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | È uno dei miei migliori amici, sfortunatamente. |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh, c*zzo, che razza di rubinetto è questo? |
| Oh sorry dear, my husband has some difficulties hearing... | Oh scusi caro, mio marito ha difficoltà di udito… |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Credo che voglia bere un po’ d’acqua. |
| That's nice, the cupboards look good, the bench is okay... | Bello, gli armadietti sembrano apposto, la panca è ok… |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | Ciao, mi spiace molto caro, sono un po’ in ritardo. |
| I don't want to live in the suburbs! | Non voglio vivere in periferia! |
| I'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | Mi spiace molto, che tipo di malattia è? |