







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 | |
|---|---|
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | E a piano terra abbiamo un accesso migliore al giardino. |
| Why is that? | Perché? |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | È difficile trovare tutti gli oggetti manualmente alla cassa fai da te. |
| You are absolutely right! | Hai assolutamente ragione! |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Magari preferiscono i fornelli elettrici nelle case condivise per motivi di sicurezza. |
| We all love bank holidays. | A tutti noi piacciono le ferie bancarie. |
| I don't like their chardonnay. | Non mi piace il loro Chardonnay. |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Morrison’s non è più vicino? |
| I hope they are going to be here on time, too... I don't like waiting. | Spero che anche loro siano qui in tempo… Non mi piace aspettare. |
| Why don't we pay 100 more each, and get a house in Mayfair? | Perché non paghiamo 100 di più a testa, e prendiamo una casa a Mayfair? |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh no! Sicuri di non avere nulla disponibile? |
| What's your favourite movie? | Qual è il tuo film preferito? |
| I don't think you really want me to stay here anymore! | Non penso che tu voglia più che io rimanga qui! |
| My cat is in the garden. | Il mio gatto è in giardino. |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | No è una ragazza molto carina, alla mano e cordiale. |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Ho solo 3 ore oggi. |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | Umm, puoi dire loro che è il nostro anniversario di matrimonio. |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Vuoi dire il tizio con la barba? |
| Then I want to roast it, though. | Poi però voglio farlo arrosto. |
| That's fine, I'm almost ready. | Va bene, sono quasi pronta. |