







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 | |
|---|---|
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Non preoccuparti, non sto insieme a Mike. |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Guarda lo scaffale, l’etichetta dice £ 2,20 chilo. |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | In questi giorni vado molto spesso in quel pub. |
| That's not nice, Mike! | Non è carino, Mike! |
| Come on, don't cry, she is just a stupid girl! | Andiamo, non piangere, è solo una stupida ragazza! |
| I've experienced how difficult and expensive it can be. | Ho visto quanto può essere difficile e costoso. |
| I don't think it's normal, do you think it's normal? | Non penso sia normale, tu pensi sia normale? |
| I'm a web designer. | Sono un Web designer. |
| I mostly cook meat, fish and chicken dishes. | Cucino per la maggior parte piatti a base di carne, pesce e pollo. |
| I don't think we need to pay for it. | Non penso che dovremo pagarlo. |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Ok, non mi piace cucinare, ma mi piace assaggiare il cibo. |
| Hmm, I like pop, rock, funk. | Hmm, mi piace pop, rock, funk. |
| Don't worry, we don't do it everyday. | Non preoccuparti, non lo facciamo tutti i giorni. |
| Yes, it is, but yours isn't so obvious. | Sì, ma il tuo non è così ovvio. |
| Do you remember me? | Ti ricordi di me? |
| My friend noted here it is your wedding anniversary! | Il mio amico ha annotato qui che è il vostro anniversario di matrimonio! |
| Because I don't want to waste more time finding a new house... | Perché non voglio sprecare altro tempo a trovare una casa nuova… |
| It sounds important. | Sembra importante. |
| Yeah, I've got it! | Sì, ce l’ho! |
| Hello, my name is Mike, I'm Cate's boyfriend... | Salve, il mio nome è Mike, sono il ragazzo di Cate… |