







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 think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | Penso che una stanza sia vuota al momento al piano di sopra. |
| Do you want me to wash the wine bottle before I pour it? | Vuoi che lavi la bottiglia di vino prima di versarlo? |
| My dad is British and my mum is Australian. | Il mio papà è inglese e mia mamma è australiana. |
| Is that right? | È giusto? |
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | Lui ha 70 anni, e mia mamma 64. |
| How are things going, is everything ok? | Come vanno le cose, tutto bene? |
| I mean, do you cook Asian or other kinds of cuisines? | Voglio dire, cucini asiatico o altri tipi di cucina? |
| Let me check... when is best for you? | Mi faccia controllare… Quando le torna meglio? |
| Erm, by the way, since we are on the subject... | Ehm, a proposito, dato che siamo sull’argomento… |
| Then people come and complain to me! | Poi la gente arriva e si lamenta con me! |
| That's a good question! | È un'ottima domanda! |
| I don't understand why they call it a bank holiday. | Non capisco perché la chiamano ferie bancaria. |
| Do you remember the pub's name? | Ti ricordi il nome del pub? |
| Hello there, are you Cate? | Salve, sei tu Cate? |
| Then he finds out he is a robot, not a real kid. | Poi lui scopre di essere un robot, non un bambino vero. |
| Yes, I think she's great! | Sì, penso sia fantastica! |
| Normally, it's much more expensive than the other ones. | Normalmente è molto più costoso degli altri. |
| Well this is how it is... do you want to see upstairs? | Beh adesso è così… Volete vedere il piano di sopra? |
| No, I'm a real estate agent. | No, io sono un agente immobiliare. |
| My housemates don't clean anything in the kitchen. | I miei coinquilini non puliscono nulla in cucina. |