







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 | |
|---|---|
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | Certo, la nostra cucina è stata rinnovata di recente… |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Mi piacerebbe un giorno quando inventeranno il teletrasporto. |
| Um, I don't feel like eating anything but fish today. | Um, oggi mi va di mangiare soltanto pesce. |
| Her name is Ayumi! | Si chiama Ayumi! |
| How much garlic do you want? | Quanto aglio vuoi? |
| He is one of my best friends, unfortunately. | È uno dei miei migliori amici, sfortunatamente. |
| It's £135 per week! | £ 135 a settimana! |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | Oh sì, è la nostra serata fuori fra ragazze stasera. |
| Thank you very much! | Grazie mille! |
| I have no idea... But I hope they have a good excuse! | Non ne ho idea… Ma spero che abbia una buona scusa! |
| Hello my friend, how are you? | Ciao amico mio, come stai? |
| No, she is totally fine, thankfully. | No, lei sta assolutamente bene, grazie al cielo. |
| Is there any other cat around? | C’è un qualche altro gatto in giro? |
| Well, it's about a kid, I mean a robot. | Beh, parla di un ragazzino, voglio dire un robot. |
| It's got some water marks on it! | Ci sono delle macchie di calcare sopra! |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | Wow, incredibile, è tua? |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Ehm, era la manager del marketing dell’azienda. |
| I'm an English teacher. | Sono un'insegnante di inglese. |
| Do you like red or white onions? | Ti piacciono le cipolle rosse o bianche? |
| Huh, it's quite good money! | Huh, Sono un sacco di soldi! |