







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 | |
|---|---|
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Questo è l’ultimo e sfortunatamente c’è un buco. |
| It's about a web project. | Si tratta di un progetto web. |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | Vuoi che faccia a fette qualche fungo per te? |
| Do you want to bet on it? | Vuoi scommetterci? |
| Don't worry Diego, it's not related to you! | Non preoccuparti Diego, non ha niente a che vedere con te! |
| There is nothing under 3,000 in Angel! | Non c’è nulla sotto i 3000 ad Angel! |
| Actually, it's quite urgent for me. | In realtà, è molto urgente per me. |
| I only have 3 hours today. | Ho solo 3 ore oggi. |
| That one is a single room, I want a double. | Quella ha una stanza singola, io voglio una doppia. |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Huh, Sono un sacco di soldi! |
| Is your father sick? | Tuo padre è malato? |
| It's like, the bus you are waiting for never comes. | È come; l'autobus che stai aspettando non arriva mai. |
| It's impossible for me to commute from zone-9 to 1 everyday. | È impossibile per me fare la pendolare dalla zona 9 alla 1 tutti i giorni. |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Il mio papà è inglese e mia mamma è australiana. |
| Yeah, our room has only got one window! | Già, la nostra stanza ha solo una finestra! |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | Ma l’annuncio diceva che la casa è completamente ammobiliata! |
| I didn't know that, I hope it's not a big problem for him. | Non lo sapevo, spero non sia un grosso problema per lui. |
| No, they live in Australia. | No, loro vivono in Australia. |
| Sorry, I forgot to tell you, you need to turn the tap on very gently. | Scusa, mi sono dimenticato di dirtelo, devi aprire il rubinetto molto delicatamente. |
| Hello, I'm sorry, but there is no chardonnay left, Cate. | Ciao, mi spiace ma non c'è rimasto Chardonnay, Cate. |