







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 don't think we need to pay for it. | Non penso che dovremo pagarlo. |
| Do you know her well? | La conosci bene? |
| We don't have that system in Brighton yet. | Non abbiamo ancora quel sistema a Brighton. |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | Ehm, a proposito, dato che siamo sull’argomento… |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | In questi giorni vado molto spesso in quel pub. |
| He wouldn't run away, he just wants to check what's outside. | Non scapperebbe via, vuole soltanto dare un’occhiata a cosa c’è fuori. |
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Scusa, la linea è disturbata! |
| Ah, I can't eat the breast, it's too dry for me! | Ah, non posso mangiare il petto, troppo asciutto per me! |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Lei è mezza giapponese, mezza australiana. |
| How many people live in this house? | Quante persone vivono in questa casa? |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Il mio papà è inglese e mia mamma è australiana. |
| 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. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Naturalmente, ci sono 4 ragazze, tutte studentesse universitarie dalla Germania. |
| Do you really think it looks like we have a cleaner? | Pensi davvero che possiamo permetterci un addetto alle pulizie? |
| Oh, sorry! You don't like cleaning things, I can do it. | Oh, scusa! A te non piace pulire le cose, posso farlo io. |
| I don't think it's normal, do you think it's normal? | Non penso sia normale, tu pensi sia normale? |
| The packets have 2 pieces in them. | Le confezioni hanno 2 pezzi dentro. |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | L’ho fatto? Non so… Che cosa? |
| I don't have time to cook everyday. | Non ho tempo di cucinare tutti i giorni. |
| I am 24. | Ho 24 anni. |