







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 | |
|---|---|
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | E secondariamente, i veterinari sono così cari! |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo però odia ancora venire dal veterinario! |
| Look, you can watch the sunset best from this point. | Guarda, si può vedere un tramonto bellissimo da questo punto. |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Mi piacerebbe un giorno quando inventeranno il teletrasporto. |
| Yes, that's okay, we are just about to leave. | Sì va bene stiamo per andarcene. |
| What’s their name? | Come si chiama? |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | Non pensi che due forchette siano abbastanza per noi? |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalmente è molto più costoso degli altri. |
| Do you expect me to make the room bigger by pushing the walls out? | Ti aspetti che faccia diventare la stanza più grande spingendo i muri? |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | Hai detto in Russia? Insolito! |
| 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. |
| How many people live in this house? | Quante persone vivono in questa casa? |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Non so in realtà, tu? |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | Quella ha una stanza singola, io voglio una doppia. |
| Is it Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus? | È Leicester Square o Piccadilly Circus? |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Bisogna cambiare aereo ad un certo punto del viaggio. |
| Yes, it's in Piccadilly Circus right in the centre. | Sì, è a Piccadilly Circus, proprio in centro. |
| Does anyone else want something to drink? | Qualcun altro vuole qualcosa da bere? |
| It's more than enough, I need some garlic, also. | È più che abbastanza, ho bisogno anche di un po’ d’aglio. |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | Sì, ti sento, ma non capisco! |