







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 | |
|---|---|
| Well, not really! I don't like cooking much. | Beh, non proprio! Non mi piace molto cucinare. |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Attenti al terzo scalino, non è molto stabile. |
| Umm... We are married... I mean, today is our wedding anniversary! | Umm… Noi siamo sposati… Voglio dire, oggi è il nostro anniversario di matrimonio! |
| But it's my favourite restaurant... | Ma è il mio ristorante preferito… |
| My laptop is in it. | C'è dentro il mio laptop. |
| Excuse me sir, here are your drinks and the menu. | Mi scusi signore, ecco i vostri drink e il menù. |
| No, they live in Australia. | No, loro vivono in Australia. |
| Yes, I'm here waiting for good news. | Sì, sono qui che aspetto la buona notizia. |
| Yeah, I think it's a bit early to knock on someone's door! | Sì, penso sia un po’ presto per bussare alla porta di qualcuno! |
| Also, one of my friends works there. | Inoltre, ci lavora uno dei miei amici. |
| He is a Chow Chow. | È un Chow Chow. |
| There's a whole 500g unopened packet. | C’è un’intera confezione da 500 g chiusa. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Naturalmente, ci sono 4 ragazze, tutte studentesse universitarie dalla Germania. |
| Normally, girls check the wine list for half an hour before they order. | Normalmente le ragazze controllano la lista dei vini per mezz’ora prima di ordinare. |
| Plus the bathroom and the kitchen are clean. | In più il bagno e la cucina sono puliti. |
| That's right, we should never forget how irresponsible my housemates are. | Esatto, non dovremmo mai dimenticare quanto siano irresponsabili i miei coinquilini. |
| Oh f*ck, what kind of tap is this? | Oh, c*zzo, che razza di rubinetto è questo? |
| It sounds like a good deal. | Sembra un'ottimo affare. |
| I like girls' nights out. | Mi piacciono le serate fuori fra ragazze. |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | In realtà, è molto urgente per me. |