







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hm, it's comes to roughly £150 a week, it's about the same. | Hm, fanno circa £ 150 a settimana, più o meno lo stesso. |
| But I think that's only for older women. | Ma penso valga solo per le donne più anziane. |
| I think I deserve a kiss... | Credo di meritarmi un bacio… |
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | Mi piace qualche canzone di Jamiroquai, ma non tutte. |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Naturalmente, il mio nome è Cate e il mio numero è 077… |
| Toby! This is Cate, she is my... friend, from London. | Toby! Questa è Cate, lei è la mia… amica, da Londra. |
| Exactly, I hate getting woken up in the middle of the night! | Esattamente, odio essere svegliato nel bel mezzo della notte! |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | In realtà, è molto urgente per me. |
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Ma quale pulsante? Non si vede quale pulsante controlla cosa! |
| Oh Jesus Christ... I get it now! That's disgusting... | Oh Gesù Cristo… L’ho capita adesso! È disgustoso… |
| And on the ground floor we have easy access to the garden. | E a piano terra abbiamo un accesso migliore al giardino. |
| I would like to... But I have other things to do... | Mi piacerebbe… Ma ho anche altre cose da fare… |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | C’è un’intera confezione da 500 g chiusa. |
| Are you the only smoker in the house? | Sei l’unico fumatore in casa? |
| Oh, I think I know them. | Oh, penso di conoscerli. |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | E ci rimangono un sacco di funghi da usare. |
| I don't know, maximum 33? | Non so, massimo 33? |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | È perché gli altri inquilini non vogliono animali? |
| Yes, I think she's great! | Sì, penso sia fantastica! |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | Sembra che non ci sia nessuno in casa! |