







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 didn't know that, I hope it's not serious. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia grave. |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | Esattamente, una chiede 3500, l’altra 3000… |
| I hope she is not a problematic one, then... | Spero non sia un tipo problematico, allora… |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Non sono davvero dell'umore giusto per unirmi a loro. |
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | Lui ha 70 anni, e mia mamma 64. |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Davvero? Non vorrei rovinare i tuoi piani, ma… |
| Hello there, are you Cate? | Salve, sei tu Cate? |
| Are you serious? | Dici sul serio? |
| I'm sorry for not showing up at your opening. | Mi dispiace per non essere venuto all’apertura. |
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | Puoi chiedermi tutto quello che vuoi sapere. |
| Erm... While your hands are already dirty... | Ehm… Già che hai le mani sporche… |
| I think Diego and I are the only smokers in the house. | Penso che Diego ed io siamo gli unici fumatori in casa. |
| I'm unleashing him now, is that okay for you? | Ora lo libero, va bene per te? |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Sì, ma la stanza è quadrata e ci sono solo quattro oggetti principali dentro. |
| Do you remember me? | Ti ricordi di me? |
| Well this is how it is... do you want to see upstairs? | Beh adesso è così… Volete vedere il piano di sopra? |
| That's fine, I'm almost ready. | Va bene, sono quasi pronta. |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Vai spesso al Windmill? |
| Let me check... Yes, there are some plates. | Fammi vedere… Sì, c’è qualche piatto. |
| I'm sure it's where it always is. | Sono sicuro che sia al solito posto. |