







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | Già, è una nazione piuttosto grande, più tipo un continente. |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | Quindi ciò significa che non vuoi stare con me? |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | Sembra che Pogo voglia andare in giardino. |
| Really? Sade is one of my favourites, too. | Davvero? Sade è anche uno dei miei preferiti. |
| I've experienced how difficult and expensive it can be. | Ho visto quanto può essere difficile e costoso. |
| It goes faster, but we don't want to walk to the tube station. | Va più veloce, ma non vogliamo camminare fino alla stazione della metro. |
| You sound like a mix of British and Australian. | Sembra un mix di inglese e australiano. |
| Then people come and complain to me! | Poi la gente arriva e si lamenta con me! |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| Oh hello... I forgot to mention, it's also a very special occasion... | Oh pronto… Ho dimenticato di dire, è anche un’occasione molto speciale… |
| Yeah, I guess normally you go to work around 06:30. | Già, normalmente mi sembra vai al lavoro attorno alle 6:30. |
| It's like there's evil hidden inside them! | È come se ci fosse il male nascosto dentro di loro! |
| Nope, it gives me a headache! | No, mi fa venire il mal di testa! |
| That's nice, I guess I like the house very much! | Bene, credo che mi piace molto la casa! |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Credo che voglia bere un po’ d’acqua. |
| He is a plumber, dear, apparently it's clogged. | È l’idraulico, cara, a quanto pare è ostruito. |
| I really don't want to see her again! | Non voglio proprio vederla di nuovo! |
| No worries Mike, as I said, he only does it when he is stressed. | Non preoccuparti Mike, come ho detto, lo fa solo quando è stressato. |
| No, I don't have one! | No, non ce l’ho! |
| I think 4000 quid is big enough. | Credo che £ 4000 siano abbastanza. |