







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'm calling him now then, do you want anything else? | Lo chiamo adesso allora, vuoi qualcos’altro? |
| Did I? I don't know... What is it? | L’ho fatto? Non so… Che cosa? |
| Umm, oh yes, I can see it now, the ad number is 9845... | Umm, oh sì, ora lo vedo, il numero dell’annuncio è 9845… |
| I think I'm going to order some duck, it's delicious. | Credo che ordinerò l’anatra, è deliziosa. |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Ma la loro stanza è quasi il doppio della dimensione della nostra stanza! |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | Certamente cara, vuoi un bicchiere o una bottiglia? |
| Can you stop acting like I always ask for money? | Puoi smetterla di comportarti come se chiedessi sempre dei soldi? |
| The ones at the bottom look fresher. | Quello in fondo sembra più fresco. |
| I'm happy to hear that. | Mi fa piacere sentirlo. |
| I think the price is very cheap. | Penso che il prezzo sia molto economico. |
| Why? It looks pretty clean to me! | Perché? Mi sembra piuttosto pulito! |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | Ma è vero, alcuni Chow sono un po’ aggressivi. |
| Yes, it was quite easy, actually, I live very close by. | Sì, è stato piuttosto facile, vivo molto vicino. |
| How is your cat? | Come sta il tuo gatto? |
| No, what is that? | No, che cosa? |
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Questo è l’ultimo e sfortunatamente c’è un buco. |
| Who the f*ck is that, what's the time? | Chi c**zo è, che ore sono? |
| I am 24. | Ho 24 anni. |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | Ho bisogno di usare il brodo di pollo per il risotto! |
| Do you feel a bit better now? | Ti senti un po’ meglio ora? |