







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 | |
|---|---|
| Thank you, dear... For helping me to be a liar! | Grazie, caro… Per avermi aiutato a mentire! |
| No, but it's not good for him to take the stairs up and down everyday. | No, ma non gli fa bene fare le scale su e giù tutti i giorni. |
| I don't like their chardonnay. | Non mi piace il loro Chardonnay. |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Come sta tua mamma, lei ha qualche problema di salute? |
| You are absolutely right! | Hai assolutamente ragione! |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | Umm, è Dick, cara, lui è il padrone di casa… |
| Can you please not forget to take some poo bags with you! | Potresti per favore non dimenticarti di portare con te qualche borsa per la cacca! |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Il mio papà è inglese e mia mamma è australiana. |
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Si, Bear mangia un gatto in mezzo ogni giorno per colazione. |
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | Puoi chiedermi tutto quello che vuoi sapere. |
| Hi, is your cat okay? | Ciao, il tuo gatto sta bene? |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Esattamente, quindi pensi che le lumache siano insetti o no? |
| It's not a big deal but it's quite an important thing to mention. | Non è chissà cosa ma è una cosa piuttosto importante da menzionare. |
| Yes, it was quite easy, actually, I live very close by. | Sì, è stato piuttosto facile, vivo molto vicino. |
| 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! |
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | Io lavoro per lo più fino a tardi la sera, non mi sveglio mai alle sette di mattina. |
| But he hisses occasionally, is it normal? | Ma ogni tanto soffia, è normale? |
| Why is that? | Perché? |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | Non mi piace la violenza nella vita vera, mi piace solo nei film. |
| Exactly, I hate getting woken up in the middle of the night! | Esattamente, odio essere svegliato nel bel mezzo della notte! |