







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hey, the water is boiling, do you want me to pour it into a pot? | Ehi, l’cqua sta bollendo, vuoi che la versi in una pentola? |
| Here you go sir, this is your receipt and your £20 cashback. | Ecco a lei signore, il suo scontrino e il suo cashback da £ 20. |
| Well, maybe we can get a 2 bedroom flat. What do you think? | Beh, magari possiamo prendere un appartamento con 2 camere da letto. Cosa ne pensi? |
| Because I'm sure they don't serve bugs in London! | Perché sono sicura che non servano insetti a Londra! |
| Erm.. Isn't it there? | Ehm... Non è lì? |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | C’è un robot nel corpo di un ragazzino, ma lui non sa di essere un robot. |
| Is that what you want me to do? | È quello che vuoi che faccia? |
| It's not for me, it's for the rice, dear! | Non è per me, è per il riso caro! |
| The ones at the bottom look fresher. | Quello in fondo sembra più fresco. |
| So I want to cook as much as I can now. | Quindi voglio cucinare quanto più possibile adesso. |
| Yes, that's the one. | Sì, proprio quello. |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | E ci rimangono un sacco di funghi da usare. |
| I go out sometimes with the girls from school. | A volte esco con le ragazze della scuola. |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | Che c’è? Va tutto bene? |
| Oh, sorry, I also need a grater for the cheese. | Oh, scusa, mi serve anche una grattugia per il formaggio. |
| That's a good question! | È un'ottima domanda! |
| Do you live in this house, too? | Anche tu vivi in questa casa? |
| Do you have any area in mind? | Hai in mente delle zone? |
| But Bear has got hip dysplasia. | Ma Bear ha la displasia ad un’anca. |
| No, it doesn't look clean, do you want me to clean it? | No, non sembra pulito, vuoi che lo pulisca io? |