







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 | |
|---|---|
| What about that table? It looks better. | Cosa ne dice di quel tavolo? Sembra meglio. |
| Also, I think we all need to leave soon. | Inoltre, penso che dovremmo andarcene tutti presto. |
| Don't worry, we don't do it everyday. | Non preoccuparti, non lo facciamo tutti i giorni. |
| The recipe is for 6 people. | La ricetta è per 6 persone. |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | Scusa, mi sono dimenticato di dirtelo, devi aprire il rubinetto molto delicatamente. |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Sono dunque £ 5 di più della stanza più grande! |
| I don't want to stay in this house anymore! | Non voglio più restare in questa casa! |
| Anyway, I need to go to the loo as well... | Ad ogni modo, devo andare anche al gabinetto… |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Ma tutti quanti lo chiamano Rocco. |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | Non ho detto che è colpa tua, ma ora è il tuo turno… |
| Is it because the other tenants don't want pets? | È perché gli altri inquilini non vogliono animali? |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | Oh sì, è la nostra serata fuori fra ragazze stasera. |
| That's nice... I hope she is not a teenager! How old is she? | Bello… Spero non sia una teenager! Quanti anni ha? |
| Are you really asking me that question? | Mi stai davvero facendo questa domanda? |
| Yep, she was born in Australia, but her mother is Japanese. | Sì, è nata in Australia, ma sua madre è giapponese. |
| No, it's not okay, I'm screwed now! | No, non va bene, adesso sono fregato! |
| No worries, it's free for you today. | Non preoccuparti, per te oggi è gratis. |
| This is my boyfriend, Mike. | Questo è il mio ragazzo, Mike. |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | Già, hai ragione, è più utile quando hai meno cose. |
| Yes, he is one of them. | Sì, lui è uno di quelli. |