







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is there anything else you want me to do? | C’è qualcos’altro che vuoi che faccia? |
| I don't know, probably put it in the bin. | Non so, probabilmente la metterei nel cestino. |
| What's the time, are we early? | Che ore sono, siamo in anticipo? |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | Sono singoli, quelli piccoli costano 30p, grandi 50p. |
| Look, there is a shop assistant. | Guarda, lì c’è un commesso. |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | So cucinare, naturalmente, ma solo quando mi va. |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | Non pensi che due forchette siano abbastanza per noi? |
| Hmm.. I think it's overdue. | Hmm… Mi sa che è scaduto. |
| Set times always stress me out. | Gli orari fissi mi provocano sempre stress. |
| 360 degrees should be good. | 360 gradi dovrebbero essere abbastanza. |
| Really? How do I wake you up? | Davvero? Come faccio a svegliarti? |
| How is it my fault? | Com’è che è colpa mia? |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Ehm, era la manager del marketing dell’azienda. |
| Do you live around here? | Vivi qui vicino? |
| Thank you again for giving me your turn. | Grazie ancora per avermi ceduto il posto. |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Attenti al terzo scalino, non è molto stabile. |
| Is there a problem with your phone battery? | C’è un problema con la batteria del tuo telefono? |
| Yeah, the packet is ripped, but it's not overdue. | Già, la confezione è strappata ma non è scaduto. |
| Where is my f*cking tenner? | Dov’è il mio f*ttuto deca? |