







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 | |
|---|---|
| Thanks, but I don't have time to stay. | Grazie, ma non posso rimanere. |
| Really? I don't want to ruin your plan, but... | Davvero? Non vorrei rovinare i tuoi piani, ma… |
| Thanks for offering me that, dear. | Grazie per l’offerta, caro. |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Ehm, era la manager del marketing dell’azienda. |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Qualcun altro ha bisogno di qualcosa? |
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | È Leicester Square o Piccadilly Circus? |
| I think I did, too, but I've got a really bad headache! | Credo anch’io, ma ho un mal di testa molto forte! |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Quindi voglio cucinare quanto più possibile adesso. |
| I'm an English teacher. | Sono un'insegnante di inglese. |
| Hi girls, this is Mike. | Ciao ragazze, questo è Mike. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Aspetta, c’è un altro sito web che dice… |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Non capisco perché la chiamano ferie bancaria. |
| What do you think, dear, do you like it, too? | Cosa ne pensi, caro, piace anche a te? |
| I guess so, but I want to finish seeing all the houses today. | Credo di sì, ma voglio finire di vedere tutte le case oggi. |
| Yeah, I guess spring is the worst time for allergies! | Già, penso che la primavera sia il periodo peggiore per l’allergia! |
| No, it doesn't look clean, do you want me to clean it? | No, non sembra pulito, vuoi che lo pulisca io? |
| Maybe I get a bit moody on the first day of my period. | Magari divento un po’ lunatica il primo giorno del ciclo. |
| Are you serious? | Dici sul serio? |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | È sulla linea Northern, la stessa che usiamo qui. |
| No, actually, he is properly toilet trained. | No, in realtà è addestrato molto bene a fare i bisogni. |