







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 | |
|---|---|
| It's got some water marks on it! | Ci sono delle macchie di calcare sopra! |
| Congratulations, I wish you luck. | Congratulazioni, buona fortuna. |
| I think I'm going to order some duck, it's delicious. | Credo che ordinerò l’anatra, è deliziosa. |
| I have one sister and she is nineteen. | Ho una sorella che ha 19 anni. |
| Hmm.. yes, we get on really well. | Hmmm... si, andiamo molto d'accordo. |
| Thanks, yeah, as I said, Camden is in zone-2... | Grazie, sì, come ho detto, Camden è in zona 2… |
| Do we have to do that every time we need to open the door? | Dobbiamo farlo ogni volta che bisogna aprire la porta? |
| Okay, who sings it? | Ok, chi canta? |
| Anyway, do you live around here, too? | Ad ogni modo, anche tu vivi qui vicino? |
| I was just joking, how are you? | Stavo solo scherzando, come stai? |
| He looks like he is interested in you! | Sembra essere interessato a te! |
| Also, I think we all need to leave soon. | Inoltre, penso che dovremmo andarcene tutti presto. |
| It's not a nice thing to say to a woman... | Non è una cosa bella da dire a una donna… |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | Lei è mezza giapponese, mezza australiana. |
| They are both okay for me. | Entrambi vanno bene per me. |
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Questo è l’ultimo e sfortunatamente c’è un buco. |
| How much garlic do you want? | Quanto aglio vuoi? |
| Where are you? | Dove sei? |
| I need to use chicken stock for the risotto! | Ho bisogno di usare il brodo di pollo per il risotto! |
| Not long, my lessons start at 12:30. | Non molto, le mie lezioni iniziano alle 12:30. |