







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Salve ragazzi, tu devi essere Cate, io sono Joseph. |
| That's where Diego works, too! | È anche dove lavora Diego! |
| As far as I know, Chows are not good with other animals. | Per quanto ne so i chow non sono buoni con gli altri animali. |
| No, what is that? | No, che cosa? |
| Do we have a sieve? | Abbiamo un colino? |
| How are you? | Tu come stai? |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear è seduto qui con me, con il pistolino all’aria. |
| Of course, there are 4 girls, all uni students from Germany. | Naturalmente, ci sono 4 ragazze, tutte studentesse universitarie dalla Germania. |
| Why don't you answer your phone? | Perché non hai risposto al telefono? |
| Hello, is that Cate? | Pronto, Cate? |
| Don't worry Mike, I think this one is better. | Non preoccuparti Mike, penso che questo sia meglio. |
| Yes, Bear eats one and a half cats everyday for breakfast. | Si, Bear mangia un gatto in mezzo ogni giorno per colazione. |
| How old are you? | Quanti anni hai? |
| I feel a bit tired and very hungry. | Sono un po' stanca e ho molta fame. |
| Sure, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Certo, il mio nome Cate ed il mio numero è 077… |
| Yeah, it's normal, he even hisses at my new socks sometimes! | Sì, è normale, a volte soffia anche ai miei calzini nuovi! |
| See you Mike, hope to see you again. | Ci vediamo Mike, spero di rivederti. |
| I think I did, too, but I've got a really bad headache! | Credo anch’io, ma ho un mal di testa molto forte! |
| I've experienced how difficult and expensive it can be. | Ho visto quanto può essere difficile e costoso. |
| I'm checking again, there are only two forks and a teaspoon! | Controllo di nuovo, ci sono solo due forchette e un cucchiaio! |