







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 | |
|---|---|
| Is there any other cat around? | C’è un qualche altro gatto in giro? |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | È un’ottima scelta, fanno anche degli ottimi calamari qui. |
| What about that table? It looks better. | Cosa ne dice di quel tavolo? Sembra meglio. |
| Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | Dobbiamo farlo ogni volta che bisogna aprire la porta? |
| How do you get to Brighton? | Come arrivi a Brighton? |
| Watch out for the 3rd step, it's not very stable. | Attenti al terzo scalino, non è molto stabile. |
| My friend noted here it is your wedding anniversary! | Il mio amico ha annotato qui che è il vostro anniversario di matrimonio! |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | Sì, il tizio con la barba è Mike. |
| Is there a knife? | C’è un coltello? |
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | Non c’è di che, ecco il menu, signora. |
| What's your favourite movie? | Qual è il tuo film preferito? |
| What kind of trick is that? | Che tipo di trucco? |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Ma la loro stanza è quasi il doppio della dimensione della nostra stanza! |
| We call it a sixth sense! | Chiamiamolo sesto senso! |
| I haven't seen her, either, and I don't really want to... | Nemmeno io l’ho vista, e non voglio proprio farlo… |
| Until you just light your cigarette. | Fino a quando non ti accendi una sigaretta. |
| No, it doesn't look clean, do you want me to clean it? | No, non sembra pulito, vuoi che lo pulisca io? |
| Sorry, the line is very bad! | Scusa, la linea è disturbata! |
| You are lucky! | Che fortuna! |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | Bene, vedere tre case in un giorno non è male. |