







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 really think it looks like we have a cleaner? | Pensi davvero che possiamo permetterci un addetto alle pulizie? |
| I will ask him to take Bear out, so we can have breakfast. | Gli chiederò di portare fuori Bear, così noi possiamo fare colazione. |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | Sì, voglio vedere il bagno… |
| It's very difficult for me to go there more than once a year. | È molto difficile per me andare là più di una volta all’anno. |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | Hmm, mi piace pop, rock, funk. |
| Is there a knife? | C’è un coltello? |
| Is that right? | È giusto? |
| Last night we were open till very late, and you know her excuse. | La notte scorsa siamo rimasti aperti fino a tardi, e sai qual è la sua scusa. |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | Ok, a quale temperatura vuoi che lo metta? |
| What do you expect English teachers to look like? | Come ti immagini un insegnante di inglese? |
| Um.. it could be blue, I don't really remember. | Um… Potrebbe essere blu, non mi ricordo proprio. |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | Umm, puoi dire loro che è il nostro anniversario di matrimonio. |
| Hey Mike, you look so worried! | Ehi Mike, sembri molto preoccupato! |
| You look much younger than that. | Sembri molto più giovane. |
| That's bad, do you have a cold? | Che brutto, hai il raffreddore? |
| Here you can take it, be careful, it's very hot. | Ecco prendi, attento, è molto caldo. |
| 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? |
| I don't think so, trains leave about every 20 minutes. | Non penso, i treni partono ogni 20 minuti circa. |
| I hate them buzzing around my ear all night long and waking me up. | Odio quando mi ronzano intorno alle orecchie per tutta la notte e mi svegliano. |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | È come se ci fosse il male nascosto dentro di loro! |