







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 like girls' nights out. | Mi piacciono le serate fuori fra ragazze. |
| Come on in, here on the ground floor, we have two bedrooms... | Entrate, qui c’è il pianterreno, abbiamo due camere da letto… |
| People take cutlery to their rooms and don't bring it back! | La gente porta le posate nella propria stanza e non le riporta indietro! |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Salve ragazzi, tu devi essere Cate, io sono Joseph. |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Fammi controllare, ci serve solo il burro. |
| Yes, it seems more logical in this case. | Sì, sembra più logico in questo caso. |
| He just moved from Brighton and lives around here. | Si è appena trasferito da Brighton e vive qui vicino. |
| Also, I think we all need to leave soon. | Inoltre, penso che dovremmo andarcene tutti presto. |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | Ma a volte mi sento in colpa a non essere là! |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | C’è un robot nel corpo di un ragazzino, ma lui non sa di essere un robot. |
| But I don't think I can use them all, there are too many! | Ma non penso di poterli usare tutti, sono troppi! |
| Everything is the same as it's advertised. | Tutto quanto è come descritto nell’annuncio. |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Ti senti un po’ meglio ora? |
| I am 24. | Ho 24 anni. |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Vuole anche aumentare il nostro affitto del 50%! |
| By the way, my name's Mike, what's yours? | A proposito, io mi chiamo Mike, e tu? |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Ma tutti quanti lo chiamano Rocco. |
| Bacon and eggs with some olives is enough for me. | Uova e bacon con un po’ di olive mi bastano. |
| It's like, the bus you are waiting for never comes. | È come; l'autobus che stai aspettando non arriva mai. |
| I don't have time to cook everyday. | Non ho tempo di cucinare tutti i giorni. |