







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 | |
|---|---|
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| It sounds important. | Sembra importante. |
| There is a little market near the school. | C’è un piccolo alimentari dietro la scuola. |
| So do you want me to find a house by myself? | Quindi vuoi che mi trovi una casa da sola? |
| I guess time doesn't pass for you while I'm away. | Suppongo che il tempo per te non passi mai quando sono via. |
| But for how many people? | Ma per quante persone? |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | E questa è la mia ragazza, Cate. |
| Yeah, I guess spring is the worst time for allergies! | Già, penso che la primavera sia il periodo peggiore per l’allergia! |
| I see them around a lot where I work, actually. | Li vedo molto in giro dove lavoro in realtà. |
| It's too fruity. | È troppo fruttato. |
| The place I am having the meeting is very close to Brighton Pier. | Il luogo dove si svolgerà la riunione è molto vicino al pontile di Brighton. |
| I feel hungry, too. | Anch'io ho fame. |
| But maybe they are splitting up, I don't know yet. | Ma magari si stanno separando, non lo so ancora. |
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | Hai fratelli o sorelle? |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | È difficile trovare tutti gli oggetti manualmente alla cassa fai da te. |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | Sono singoli, quelli piccoli costano 30p, grandi 50p. |
| No, she is a uni student in Russia. | No, lei studia all’università in Russia. |
| Then, I don't think we need to see the next one! | Allora, non penso che dobbiamo vedere la prossima! |
| They don't usually work after ten o'clock. | Di solito non lavorano dopo le 10. |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | Umm… Noi siamo sposati… Voglio dire, oggi è il nostro anniversario di matrimonio! |