







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 | |
|---|---|
| It's like, the bus you are waiting for never comes. | È come; l'autobus che stai aspettando non arriva mai. |
| Isn't that funny? | Non è divertente? |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | Ma a volte mi sento in colpa a non essere là! |
| Are you going to say sorry for saying I am stupid then? | Chiederai scusa per aver detto che sono stupido allora? |
| I've got a meeting with some people. | Ho una riunione con alcune persone. |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Sì, vuoi dire con i velocipedi? |
| Of course! It's my favourite pub. | Ma certo! È il mio pub preferito. |
| Does that help you to believe me? | Questo ti aiuta a credermi? |
| Let me check... Yes, there are some plates. | Fammi vedere… Sì, c’è qualche piatto. |
| That's a perfect time to see a house... | Orario perfetto per vedere una casa… |
| 5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | Casa indipendente con 5 camere da letto su Lyme Street, £ 2800, corretto? |
| We are back, where is Bear? | Siamo tornati, dov’è Bear? |
| And secondly, vets are so expensive! | E secondariamente, i veterinari sono così cari! |
| Of course, here you go, this is the bathroom. | Naturalmente, ecco qui, questo è il bagno. |
| I'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | Lo chiamo adesso allora, vuoi qualcos’altro? |
| Why don't we pay 100 more each, and get a house in Mayfair? | Perché non paghiamo 100 di più a testa, e prendiamo una casa a Mayfair? |
| I have an appointment with the home office for my visa extension. | Ho un appuntamento con gli affari interni per l’estensione del mio visto. |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | Ci sono dei distributori automatici in stazione. |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Credo che voglia bere un po’ d’acqua. |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | È un’ottima scelta, fanno anche degli ottimi calamari qui. |