







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 it's hay fever! I believe it's from the cat... | Non penso sia febbre da fieno! Credo sia per via del gatto… |
| No worries, it's free for you today. | Non preoccuparti, per te oggi è gratis. |
| Where are you? | Dove sei? |
| Because you are in it. | Perché ci sei tu. |
| I prefer red onions. | Preferisco le cipolle rosse. |
| I don't think it's possible to find anymore variations. | Non penso sia possibile trovare delle altre variazioni. |
| That's a very interesting combination. | Una combinazione molto interessante. |
| As I said, it's much easier to open with two people. | Come ho detto, è molto più semplice da aprire con due persone. |
| Are they older or younger? | Sono più grandi o più piccole? |
| Exactly, so do you think snails are bugs or not? | Esattamente, quindi pensi che le lumache siano insetti o no? |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | In questi giorni vado molto spesso in quel pub. |
| I'm really sorry about that! | Mi dispiace davvero tanto! |
| Pogo is my little cat, is there a problem with that? | Pogo è il mio gattino, c’è qualche problema con questo? |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Non preoccuparti Mike, come ho detto, lo fa solo quando è stressato. |
| There is one at 11:00 and the next one is at 11:20. | Ce n'è uno alle 11:00 e quello dopo alle 11:20. |
| No, they live in Australia. | No, loro vivono in Australia. |
| I will ask him to take Bear out, so we can have breakfast. | Gli chiederò di portare fuori Bear, così noi possiamo fare colazione. |
| Thanks for warning me now, that's very helpful! | Grazie per avermi avvertito adesso, molto utile! |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | Che bello, cosa cucini di solito? |
| Well, it's about a kid, I mean a robot. | Beh, parla di un ragazzino, voglio dire un robot. |