







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you live around here? | Vivi qui vicino? |
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | Non è prendere in prestito, è rubare! |
| Where are you? | Dove sei? |
| Isn't Morrison's closer? | Morrison’s non è più vicino? |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Ma la loro stanza è quasi il doppio della dimensione della nostra stanza! |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Perché? Mi sembra piuttosto pulito! |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Certamente cara, vuoi un bicchiere o una bottiglia? |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Ehm, era la manager del marketing dell’azienda. |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | Sissignore, potete sedervi a questo tavolo. |
| It says best before 25th of February. | Dice consumarsi preferibilmente entro il 25 febbraio. |
| Do you go to the Windmill often? | Vai spesso al Windmill? |
| Is it possible not to be able to find return tickets? | È possibile non riuscire a trovare biglietti di ritorno? |
| You look much younger than that. | Sembri molto più giovane. |
| She is doing well, we have 3 months left to go. | Va bene, abbiamo ancora 3 mesi. |
| No worries, I am not together with Mike. | Non preoccuparti, non sto insieme a Mike. |
| Thank you, see you there on Saturday at 13:00. | Grazie, ci vediamo là sabato alle 13:00. |
| The ones at the bottom look fresher. | Quello in fondo sembra più fresco. |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | Non ho detto che è colpa tua, ma ora è il tuo turno… |
| Bear's sitting here with me, his willy is out. | Bear è seduto qui con me, con il pistolino all’aria. |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | Ma una costa £ 2,44 e l’altra £ 1,22. |