







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 guess you need to change your cooking plan now! | A quanto pare dovrai cambiare i tuoi piani di cucina adesso! |
| Oh really? That's not good. | Oh davvero? Non va bene. |
| Also, one of my friends works there. | Inoltre, ci lavora uno dei miei amici. |
| I'm okay, how are you? | Sto bene, e tu? |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Aspetta, c’è un altro sito web che dice… |
| What genre do you listen to? | Che genere ascolti? |
| My friend noted here it is your wedding anniversary! | Il mio amico ha annotato qui che è il vostro anniversario di matrimonio! |
| They are both okay for me. | Entrambi vanno bene per me. |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | Quella ha una stanza singola, io voglio una doppia. |
| I'm a bit paranoid about it. | Sono un po’ paranoica su questa cosa. |
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | No, ma è quello che mi va di mangiare… |
| Because you are in it. | Perché ci sei tu. |
| I am alone till my friend comes. | Io sono solo fino a quando non arriverà il mio amico. |
| Well, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Beh, magari possiamo prendere un appartamento con 2 camere da letto. Cosa ne pensi? |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Ok, non mi piace cucinare, ma mi piace assaggiare il cibo. |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Non capisco perché la chiamano ferie bancaria. |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| So do you want me to find a house by myself? | Quindi vuoi che mi trovi una casa da sola? |
| I usually take the train. | Di solito prendo il treno. |
| Don't worry, we don't do it everyday. | Non preoccuparti, non lo facciamo tutti i giorni. |