







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 | |
|---|---|
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | Ma tutti quanti lo chiamano Rocco. |
| I was just joking, how are you? | Stavo solo scherzando, come stai? |
| I live just opposite the pub. | Io vivo proprio di fronte al pub. |
| I live very close by. | Vivo molto vicino. |
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | Puoi chiedermi tutto quello che vuoi sapere. |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | Guarda lo scaffale, l’etichetta dice £ 2,20 chilo. |
| Anyway, what else do we have left to do now? | Ad ogni modo, cos’altro c’è rimasto da fare adesso? |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | Già, la nostra stanza ha solo una finestra! |
| It's got some water marks on it! | Ci sono delle macchie di calcare sopra! |
| These days I'm into 60's, 70's remixes. | In questi giorni mi piacciono i remix anni 60 e 70. |
| Hello mate, where are you? | Ciao amico, dove sei? |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Quindi voglio cucinare quanto più possibile adesso. |
| Does anyone else need anything? | Qualcun altro ha bisogno di qualcosa? |
| Yeah, but the room is square and there are only four main objects in it. | Sì, ma la stanza è quadrata e ci sono solo quattro oggetti principali dentro. |
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Ma quale pulsante? Non si vede quale pulsante controlla cosa! |
| As I'm a smoker, I prefer sitting outside. | Dato che fumo, io preferisco sedermi fuori. |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | Ad ogni modo, questa è Cate e le sue amiche dal lavoro. |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | Sì, vuoi dire con i velocipedi? |
| I wish you all the best. | Ti auguro tutto il meglio |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | Ce ne sono molti altri, ma penso che gumtree.com sia il migliore. |