







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 | |
|---|---|
| When you stop believing we can get a house in Mayfair for 2,400! | Quando la smetterai di credere che possiamo prendere una casa a Mayfair a 2400! |
| I don't like smoking in the kitchen. | Non mi piace fumare in cucina. |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Guarda, si può vedere un tramonto bellissimo da questo punto. |
| It's not a nice thing to do. | Non è una cosa bella da fare. |
| I took Bear out and I'm just about to leave. | Ho portato fuori Bear e sto per uscire. |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Fammi controllare, ci serve solo il burro. |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Non preoccuparti Mike, come ho detto, lo fa solo quando è stressato. |
| It seems there is no one in the house! | Sembra che non ci sia nessuno in casa! |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | Sì, io prendo una birra, presumo tu voglia del vino, Cate? |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Non è una cosa bella da dire a una donna… |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Sì, vuoi dire con i velocipedi? |
| Okay, here we are, this is Honeybrook Street. | Ok, eccoci qui, questa è Honeybrook Street. |
| By the way, I like the colour of the walls... What do you think? | A proposito, mi piace il colore delle pareti… Cosa ne pensi? |
| Oh Jesus Christ... I get it now! That's disgusting... | Oh Gesù Cristo… L’ho capita adesso! È disgustoso… |
| Well, that's another problem! | Beh, quello è un altro problema! |
| Who knows, I consider it as nothing more than a hobby. | Chi lo sa, lo considero niente più di un hobby. |
| Hello madam, are you still on the line? | Pronto signora, è ancora in linea? |
| When I have free time. | Quando ho del tempo libero. |
| Where is your school, is it in central London? | Dov’è la tua scuola, a Londra in centro? |
| Why do you want to live there? | Perché vuoi vivere la? |