







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 | |
|---|---|
| Yeah, and the market is good, is Camden Lock in zone-2 or 3? | Sì, e il mercato è bello, Camden Lock è in zona 2 o 3? |
| Yes, it was quite easy, actually, I live very close by. | Sì, è stato piuttosto facile, vivo molto vicino. |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | Ehm, era la manager del marketing dell’azienda. |
| I can cook, of course, but only when I feel like it. | So cucinare, naturalmente, ma solo quando mi va. |
| Then I want to roast it, though. | Poi però voglio farlo arrosto. |
| That's okay, I don't mind. | Va bene, non è un problema. |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Salve ragazzi, tu devi essere Cate, io sono Joseph. |
| Yes, he definitely doesn't like changing places. | Sì, decisamente non gli piace cambiare aria. |
| I need to wake him up now! | Devo andare a svegliarlo! |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | Ok, non mi piace cucinare, ma mi piace assaggiare il cibo. |
| It's still £5 more than the bigger room! | Sono dunque £ 5 di più della stanza più grande! |
| I wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | Mi sveglio e faccio il letto e poi riordino la stanza. |
| That's nice, what do you usually cook? | Che bello, cosa cucini di solito? |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | Non preoccuparti, tutti quanti usano la mia roba continuamente. |
| Do you have another one? | Ne hai un altro? |
| I think I'm going to order some duck, it's delicious. | Credo che ordinerò l’anatra, è deliziosa. |
| Thank god there is nothing to worry about. | Grazie al cielo non c'è nulla di cui preoccuparsi. |
| First of all, it's so sad to see them in pain. | Prima di tutto, è tristissimo vedere soffrire il tuo animale domestico. |
| I feel hungry, too. | Anch'io ho fame. |
| Yeah, I think the logo looks much better in the centre, what do you think? | Sì, credo che il logo stia molto meglio al centro, tu cosa ne pensi? |