







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 | |
|---|---|
| Hi there, are you ready? | Ehilà, sei pronta? |
| Thanks for warning me now, that's very helpful! | Grazie per avermi avvertito adesso, molto utile! |
| Do you want me to tell her that you are here? | Vuoi che le dica che sei qui? |
| Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom. | Scusami, devo andare al bagno. |
| How is your mum, does she have any health problems? | Come sta tua mamma, lei ha qualche problema di salute? |
| What's your plan, Cate? | Che piani hai Cate? |
| It's difficult to find all the items manually on the self-checkout. | È difficile trovare tutti gli oggetti manualmente alla cassa fai da te. |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | Non so in realtà, tu? |
| Alright, I think I know who he is... | Giusto, penso di sapere chi è… |
| Yeah, I like having lasagne the day after it's cooked, it tastes better. | Già, mi piace mangiare le lasagne il giorno dopo averle preparate, sono più buone. |
| Girls, this is Diego. | Ragazzi, questo è Diego. |
| Hmm.. yes, we get on really well. | Hmmm... si, andiamo molto d'accordo. |
| Then, I don't think we need to see the next one! | Allora, non penso che dobbiamo vedere la prossima! |
| Hello guys, you must be Cate, I'm Joseph. | Salve ragazzi, tu devi essere Cate, io sono Joseph. |
| I'm not really in the mood to join them. | Non sono davvero dell'umore giusto per unirmi a loro. |
| Yes, they are all around 2 pounds. | Sì, costano tutti all’incirca 2 sterline. |
| Why? What's wrong? | Perché, che c'è che non va? |
| So it's definitely not a divorce situation. | Quindi decisamente non si tratta di divorzio. |
| Oh f*ck off, I've got to go now... | Oh f*nculo, devo andare ora… |
| And sometimes they don't come home for days. | E a volte non tornano a casa per giorni. |