







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 | |
|---|---|
| What genre do you listen to? | Che genere ascolti? |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | La barba mi fa sembrare più vecchio, credo. |
| No, I'm not lying! I never lie. | No non sto mentendo! Non mento mai. |
| Pogo still hates coming to the vet, though! | Pogo però odia ancora venire dal veterinario! |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | Ciao, che razza di cane hai Mike? |
| Mike, it is a continent! | Mike, è un continente! |
| Erm... Yeah... Sure! It's our first anniversary! | Erm… Sì… Certo! È il nostro primo anniversario! |
| Sorry, look, here is the station. | Scusa, guarda, ecco qui la stazione. |
| Oh god, I feel too tired now. | Oddio, mi sento così stanca ora. |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | Beh, non credo che dobbiamo cuocere troppe cose contemporaneamente. |
| It's Marvin Gaye, from the 60's, but this is the remix. | Marvine Gaye, anni 60, ma questo è il remix. |
| He only does it when he is extremely stressed! | Lo fa solo quando è estremamente stressato! |
| Last night we were open till very late, and you know her excuse. | La notte scorsa siamo rimasti aperti fino a tardi, e sai qual è la sua scusa. |
| Yes, sorry, everything seems filthy, but believe me, it's not my fault! | Sì, scusa, tutto quanto sembra sporco, ma credimi, non è colpa mia! |
| It seems Pogo wants to go into the garden. | Sembra che Pogo voglia andare in giardino. |
| I think 4000 quid is big enough. | Credo che £ 4000 siano abbastanza. |
| Hey, Cate! Do you need anything? | Ehi Cate! Hai bisogno di qualcosa? |
| Hmm... actually, we have to boil it. | Hmm… In realtà dobbiamo farlo bollire. |
| Well, one of them is 2,800, but bills are not included... | Beh, una è 2800, ma le bollette non sono incluse… |
| So, it's obvious you have no clue how much renting a house costs. | Quindi, è ovvio che non hai idea di quanto costi affittare una casa. |