







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | Sì, scusa, tutto quanto sembra sporco, ma credimi, non è colpa mia! |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Non so in realtà, tu? |
| Is the first one washing the dishes or cleaning? | La prima è lavare i piatti o pulire? |
| The room is spacious and sunny and the bed looks comfortable! | La stanza è spaziosa e soleggiata e il letto sembra confortevole! |
| Yes, it might be, but I'm very busy with some projects these days. | Sì, forse, ma sono un po’ occupato con alcuni progetti in questi giorni. |
| My rent is monthly, I pay £600 per month. | Il mio affitto è mensile, pago £ 600 al mese. |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Ciao, che razza di cane hai Mike? |
| But we have to be quick, I don't have much time. | Ma dobbiamo fare in fretta, non ho molto tempo. |
| I think the price is very cheap. | Penso che il prezzo sia molto economico. |
| Do you want to bet on it? | Vuoi scommetterci? |
| Well, I'm used to getting bad news today, what's that? | Beh, sono abituata alle cattive notizie oggi, che c’è? |
| Yes, there are some knives, too. | Sì, ci sono anche dei coltelli. |
| Also, I think we all need to leave soon. | Inoltre, penso che dovremmo andarcene tutti presto. |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Lo fa solo quando è estremamente stressato! |
| It's not a big deal but it's quite an important thing to mention. | Non è chissà cosa ma è una cosa piuttosto importante da menzionare. |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | Credo che dovremmo aspettare un po’ prima che se ne vada tutto il fumo. |
| It's always the same. | È sempre la solita storia. |
| No, it's not okay, I'm screwed now! | No, non va bene, adesso sono fregato! |
| The other one is 3,000, but includes all bills. | L’altra è 3000, ma include tutte le bollette. |
| No, no, nothing is wrong, no need to worry, we are all fine... | No, no, non c’è nulla di sbagliato, non devi preoccuparti, va tutto bene… |