







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 | |
|---|---|
| I like some Jamiroquai songs, but not all of them. | Mi piace qualche canzone di Jamiroquai, ma non tutte. |
| Don't you think it's too far away from the tube station? | Non pensi sia troppo distante dalla stazione della metro? |
| Let me check, we only need butter. | Fammi controllare, ci serve solo il burro. |
| I don't think she wants to talk or solve anything! | Non penso che voglia parlare o risolvere niente! |
| The packets have 2 pieces in them. | Le confezioni hanno 2 pezzi dentro. |
| We all love bank holidays. | A tutti noi piacciono le ferie bancarie. |
| I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen, so I have no plan. | Non mi aspettavo succedesse una cosa del genere, quindi non ho un piano. |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | A volte esco con le ragazze della scuola. |
| Then you can decide if I'm a good cook or not! | Poi deciderai se sono un buon cuoco o no! |
| Do you know the pub around the corner? | Conosci il pub dietro l'angolo? |
| That's where Diego works, too! | È anche dove lavora Diego! |
| 50% of 135 is 67.50... And it comes to totally 202.50. | Il 50% di 135 è67,50… E fa un totale di 202,50. |
| Okay, so do you want me to make 3 serves? | Ok, allora vuoi che faccia 3 porzioni? |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | Bisogna cambiare aereo ad un certo punto del viaggio. |
| Right! Who wants chardonnay, then? | Bene! Chi vuole lo Chardonnay allora? |
| And these days, I go to that pub quite often. | In questi giorni vado molto spesso in quel pub. |
| Why don't we pay 100 more each, and get a house in Mayfair? | Perché non paghiamo 100 di più a testa, e prendiamo una casa a Mayfair? |
| Depends on where you look. | Dipende da dove cerchi. |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Ehm... Non è lì? |