







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 | |
|---|---|
| Do you mean Rebecca and Cecilia? | Vuoi dire Rebecca e Cecilia? |
| But which button? It doesn't show which controls which! | Ma quale pulsante? Non si vede quale pulsante controlla cosa! |
| I guess my only choice is coming to your house! | Suppongo che la mia unica scelta sia venire a casa tua! |
| The recipe is for 6 people. | La ricetta è per 6 persone. |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Come sta tua mamma, lei ha qualche problema di salute? |
| It's on the Northern line, the same one we use here. | È sulla linea Northern, la stessa che usiamo qui. |
| Okay, if you say so, I trust you! | Ok, se lo dici tu, mi fido! |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | Vuole anche aumentare il nostro affitto del 50%! |
| Okay, maybe it's better for you to have some rest. | Ok, magari è meglio se ti riposi un po’. |
| It's all your fault! I feel so embarrassed now... | È tutta colpa tua! Mi sento così in imbarazzo ora… |
| All of my work is in that laptop and I don't have any backup! | C'è tutto il mio lavoro in quel laptop e non ho nessun backup! |
| Also, he has got a very lovely, cute dog. | Inoltre ha un cane davvero adorabile. |
| The packets have 2 pieces in them. | Le confezioni hanno 2 pezzi dentro. |
| Sh*t! I can't believe it's already 10:30! | Merda! Non riesco a credere che siano già le 10:30! |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | Credo che voglia bere un po’ d’acqua. |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | Sì, è meglio non riempire completamente la vasca, perde verso il piano di sotto. |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Prima di tutto, è tristissimo vedere soffrire il tuo animale domestico. |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | Oh no! Sicuri di non avere nulla disponibile? |
| Is that a crack in the bath? | Quella è una crepa nella vasca? |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | Ma la loro stanza è quasi il doppio della dimensione della nostra stanza! |