







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 | |
|---|---|
| Depends on where you look. | Dipende da dove cerchi. |
| By the way, the deposit is £3,000 and non-negotiable... | A proposito, il deposito è £ 3000 e non trattabile… |
| I wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | Mi sveglio e faccio il letto e poi riordino la stanza. |
| Is the first one washing the dishes or cleaning? | La prima è lavare i piatti o pulire? |
| Of course, my name is Cate and my number is 077... | Naturalmente, il mio nome è Cate e il mio numero è 077… |
| Thanks for being thoughtful, dear. | Grazie per la considerazione, caro. |
| Well, I hope he doesn't keep on pooping all around the house! | Bene, spero che non continuerà a fare la cacca in tutta la casa! |
| The rest of the house is okay, but the kitchen is a bit dirty. | Il resto della casa va bene, ma la cucina è un po’ sporca. |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | Aspetta, c’è un altro sito web che dice… |
| No, I don't have one! | No, non ce l’ho! |
| You are welcome, here is the menu, madam. | Non c’è di che, ecco il menu, signora. |
| I mean, you look too young to be a teacher. | Voglio dire, sembri troppo giovane per essere un insegnante. |
| Well, not really! I don't like cooking much. | Beh, non proprio! Non mi piace molto cucinare. |
| 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… |
| This is the last one and, unfortunately, it has a hole in it. | Questo è l’ultimo e sfortunatamente c’è un buco. |
| Hello dear, how is it going, do you need any help? | Ciao cara, come sta andando, ti serve aiuto? |
| Do you like red or white onions? | Ti piacciono le cipolle rosse o bianche? |
| No, I have really bad allergies. | No, ho una brutta allergia. |
| Do you mean the guy with the beard? | Vuoi dire il tizio con la barba? |
| I'd like to one day, when they invent teleportation. | Mi piacerebbe un giorno quando inventeranno il teletrasporto. |