







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 it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | E per quanto difficile da credere, è pulito. |
| Good thanks, I'm fine, too. | Bene grazie, sto bene anch’io. |
| No, but that's what I feel like having... | No, ma è quello che mi va di mangiare… |
| Is it big money? | Sono tanti soldi? |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Ciao, che razza di cane hai Mike? |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | No, io sono un agente immobiliare. |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Mi piacerebbe un giorno quando inventeranno il teletrasporto. |
| The ones at the bottom look fresher. | Quello in fondo sembra più fresco. |
| So 2017 minus 1841 equals... | Quindi 2017 meno 1841 uguale… |
| But I don't know him well. | Ma non lo conosco bene. |
| We are back, where is Bear? | Siamo tornati, dov’è Bear? |
| I don't need to wake up very early. | Non devo svegliarmi molto presto. |
| What kind of trick is that? | Che tipo di trucco? |
| Hope to see you later. | Spero di rivederti. |
| What is it about? | Di cosa parla? |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | E questa è la mia ragazza, Cate. |
| Do you live around here? | Vivi qui vicino? |
| Because we know them and have their mobile numbers? | Perché noi li conosciamo e abbiamo il loro numero di cellulare? |
| Isn't that funny? | Non è divertente? |
| It's always the same. | È sempre la solita storia. |