







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | Hai fratelli o sorelle? |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Perché? Mi sembra piuttosto pulito! |
| I think I did, too, but I've got a really bad headache! | Credo anch’io, ma ho un mal di testa molto forte! |
| Is it because it's too violent? | È perché è troppo violento? |
| You know some people don't like putting their ad on the internet. | Sai, ad alcune persone non piace mettere il proprio annuncio su Internet. |
| Why is that? | Perché? |
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | Vuoi che ti faccia una tazza di tè o caffè? |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Già, è una nazione piuttosto grande, più tipo un continente. |
| I don't want to talk about this issue in this house. | Non voglio parlare di questo problema in questa casa. |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | È perché gli altri inquilini non vogliono animali? |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Merda! Non riesco a credere che siano già le 10:30! |
| It's a double room plus we get a cleaner once a week. | È una stanza doppia più c’è il servizio pulizia una volta a settimana. |
| Mike, 250 degrees is the highest! | Mike, 250 gradi è il massimo! |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Sì, è meglio non riempire completamente la vasca, perde verso il piano di sotto. |
| Dear, who is it? | Caro, chi è? |
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | Ci sono delle patatine o qualche spuntino? |
| Can you please not forget to take some poo bags with you! | Potresti per favore non dimenticarti di portare con te qualche borsa per la cacca! |
| Ah, I'm very sorry, but we're fully booked tonight! | Ah, mi spiace molto, ma stasera siamo al completo! |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Non penso sia possibile trovare delle altre variazioni. |
| I don't think it's hay fever! I believe it's from the cat... | Non penso sia febbre da fieno! Credo sia per via del gatto… |