







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 | |
|---|---|
| Did you check carefully, don't we have any at all? | Hai guardato con attenzione, non abbiamo davvero nulla? |
| I have no idea... But I hope they have a good excuse! | Non ne ho idea… Ma spero che abbia una buona scusa! |
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | Vuoi che ti faccia una tazza di tè o caffè? |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Certamente cara, vuoi un bicchiere o una bottiglia? |
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | Beh, una è 2800, ma le bollette non sono incluse… |
| There is a little market near the school. | C’è un piccolo alimentari dietro la scuola. |
| Sorry, look, here is the station. | Scusa, guarda, ecco qui la stazione. |
| Maybe they prefer electric stoves in shared houses for safety reasons. | Magari preferiscono i fornelli elettrici nelle case condivise per motivi di sicurezza. |
| That's nice, I like the music and the lyrics. | Bello, mi piace la musica e il testo. |
| We are back, where is Bear? | Siamo tornati, dov’è Bear? |
| What do you do? | Che cosa fai? |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Lo fa solo quando è estremamente stressato! |
| You are so realistic dear, where is your wedding ring? | Sei molto realistica cara, dov’è la tua fede nuziale? |
| It's not for me, it's for the rice, dear! | Non è per me, è per il riso caro! |
| How is there four of us? | Com’è che siamo in quattro? |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | Sono davvero strabiliata dalla struttura di questa stazione. |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Sì, è meglio non riempire completamente la vasca, perde verso il piano di sotto. |
| I'm really sorry, what kind of sickness is it? | Mi spiace molto, che tipo di malattia è? |
| No, I won't... I don't want a house in Mayfair anymore! | No, non voglio… Non voglio più una casa a Mayfair! |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | E ci rimangono un sacco di funghi da usare. |