







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 | |
|---|---|
| I am planning to sleep in a bit since it's a holiday. | Voglio dormire un po' dato che è festa. |
| How is your cat? | Come sta il tuo gatto? |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia grave. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Perché? Mi sembra piuttosto pulito! |
| I hope your friends don't mind. | Spero che alle tue amiche non dispiaccia. |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | La barba mi fa sembrare più vecchio, credo. |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia un grosso problema per lui. |
| What’s their name? | Come si chiama? |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Aspetta, c’è un altro sito web che dice… |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | Che brutto, hai il raffreddore? |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | Ok, a quale temperatura vuoi che lo metta? |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Quella è una crepa nella vasca? |
| I guess mine is older than yours! | Mi sa che il mio è più vecchio del tuo! |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Vuoi dire il tizio con la barba? |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | Orario perfetto per vedere una casa… |
| My landlords are a gay couple. | I miei padroni di casa sono una coppia gay. |
| A flat is not a good idea for Bear, it doesn't have a garden. | Un appartamento non è una buona idea per Bear, non ha un giardino. |
| Are you sure she is from Australia? | Sei sicura che venga dall’Australia? |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Non mi piace la violenza nella vita vera, mi piace solo nei film. |
| I have no idea what arborio rice is! | Non ho idea di cosa sia il riso arborio! |