







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 | |
|---|---|
| Nope, oyster cards are only for transport in London. | No, le oyster card servono solo per i mezzi pubblici a Londra. |
| Which appointment? Do you mean the house in Angel? | Quale appuntamento? Vuoi dire la casa ad Angel? |
| I'm an English teacher. | Sono un'insegnante di inglese. |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Vai spesso al Windmill? |
| Everything is the same as it's advertised. | Tutto quanto è come descritto nell’annuncio. |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | Vuoi che faccia a fette qualche fungo per te? |
| It's almost 09:30. | Sono quasi le 9:30. |
| I'm sorry but I have bad news about the room... | Mi dispiace ma ho cattive notizie sulla stanza… |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Ma la loro stanza è quasi il doppio della dimensione della nostra stanza! |
| I hope your friends don't mind. | Spero che alle tue amiche non dispiaccia. |
| They are both okay for me. | Entrambi vanno bene per me. |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Lei è mezza giapponese, mezza australiana. |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Non preoccuparti, tutti quanti usano la mia roba continuamente. |
| Isn't that funny? | Non è divertente? |
| But Tesco is bigger, it has more variety of products. | Ma Tesco è più grande, c’è più varietà di prodotti. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia grave. |
| He is the bartender. | È il barista. |
| Oh, sorry, I also need a grater for the cheese. | Oh, scusa, mi serve anche una grattugia per il formaggio. |
| He must be sleeping, he usually works at night, too. | Deve essere a letto, di solito anche lui lavora la sera. |
| There is also some cheese, but it's a bit mouldy. | Poi c’è un po’ di formaggio ma ha un po’ di muffa. |