







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Sì, credo che il logo stia molto meglio al centro, tu cosa ne pensi? |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Anche tu vivi in questa casa? |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Ci sono dei distributori automatici in stazione. |
| Hi there, are you ready? | Ehilà, sei pronta? |
| Yes, of course I remember. | Sì, certo che mi ricordo. |
| Ah, I'm very sorry, but we're fully booked tonight! | Ah, mi spiace molto, ma stasera siamo al completo! |
| That's not nice, Mike! | Non è carino, Mike! |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Il mio papà è inglese e mia mamma è australiana. |
| They are both okay for me. | Entrambi vanno bene per me. |
| Come on, don't cry, she is just a stupid girl! | Andiamo, non piangere, è solo una stupida ragazza! |
| Last night we were open till very late, and you know her excuse. | La notte scorsa siamo rimasti aperti fino a tardi, e sai qual è la sua scusa. |
| Then people come and complain to me! | Poi la gente arriva e si lamenta con me! |
| Oh, your girlfriend's cat... Does she live here with you? | Oh, il gatto della tua ragazza… Lei vive qui con te? |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Lo fa solo quando è estremamente stressato! |
| I don't know, maximum 33? | Non so, massimo 33? |
| Hi there, it's not Dick, it's Nick... Starts with N. | Ehilà, non mi chiamo Dick, ma Nick… Inizia con la N. |
| What do you think, dear, do you like it, too? | Cosa ne pensi, caro, piace anche a te? |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Va più veloce, ma non vogliamo camminare fino alla stazione della metro. |
| Well, that's another problem! | Beh, quello è un altro problema! |
| That's a very interesting combination. | Una combinazione molto interessante. |