Guida grammaticale

Cos'è?

Il Present Simple si usa per parlare di abitudini, routine, fatti, situazioni permanenti e cose che accadono regolarmente.

Esempi:

• I work from home.
• She drinks coffee every morning.
• The sun rises in the east.

Con he, she e it, il verbo di solito termina in -s o -es.

• I work.
• He works.
• They watch television.
• She watches television.

Quando si usa

Usa il Present Simple per:

• abitudini e routine: I walk to work every day.
• azioni ripetute: She calls her mother every Sunday.
• fatti generali: Water boils at 100°C.
• situazioni permanenti: They live in Canada.
• opinioni e sentimenti: I like this song.
• orari e programmi: The train leaves at six.
• istruzioni e indicazioni: Turn left, and the bank is on your right.

Le espressioni di tempo comuni includono:

• always
• usually
• often
• sometimes
• rarely
• never
• every day
• once a week
• on Mondays

Struttura

Frasi affermative

Usa la forma base del verbo con I, you, we e they.

Usa il verbo con -s o -es con he, she e it.

Ortografia con he, she e it

Frasi negative

Usa:

soggetto + do not/does not + verbo base

Le forme contratte sono:

• do not → don’t
• does not → doesn’t

Dopo doesn’t, usa la forma base del verbo.

Domande

Usa:

Do/Does + soggetto + verbo base?

• Do you work here?
• Does she speak French?
• Do they live nearby?

Risposte brevi

• Do you drive? — Yes, I do.
• Do they work here? — No, they don’t.
• Does he cook? — Yes, he does.
• Does she live in Calgary? — No, she doesn’t.

Avverbi di frequenza

Avverbi come always, usually, often, sometimes e never di solito vengono prima del verbo principale.

• I usually get up at seven.
• She often walks to work.
• They never eat meat.

Con il verbo to be, l’avverbio di solito viene dopo il verbo.

• He is always busy.
• We are usually at home.

Esempi

1. I drink coffee every morning.
2. She works in a hospital.
3. They play football on Saturdays.
4. He doesn’t eat meat.
5. We don’t watch much television.
6. Do you speak English?
7. Does your brother live nearby?
8. The shop opens at nine.
9. Water freezes at 0°C.
10. My parents usually visit us in summer.

Eccezioni

Il verbo to be usa am, is e are e non usa do o does nelle negative e nelle domande.

• I am tired.
• She isn’t at home.
• Are they ready?

Il verbo have è di solito regolare nell’inglese americano.

• Do you have a car?
• She doesn’t have a car.

Nell’inglese britannico, have got è anche comune.

• Have you got a car?
• She hasn’t got a car.

Alcuni verbi descrivono stati e sono di solito usati al Present Simple piuttosto che al Present Continuous.

• know
• believe
• want
• need
• like
• love
• understand

Errori comuni

1. Errato: He work every day. Corretto: He works every day. Spiegazione: Aggiungi -s al verbo con he, she e it.

2. Errato: She don’t like coffee. Corretto: She doesn’t like coffee. Spiegazione: Usa doesn’t con she.

3. Errato: Does he works here? Corretto: Does he work here? Spiegazione: Usa il verbo base dopo does.

4. Errato: I am go to work every day. Corretto: I go to work every day. Spiegazione: Non usare am prima di un verbo normale al Present Simple.

5. Errato: They doesn’t live here. Corretto: They don’t live here. Spiegazione: Usa don’t con they.

6. Errato: She studys English. Corretto: She studies English. Spiegazione: Cambia la consonante + y in i prima di aggiungere -es.

7. Errato: Do she speak French? Corretto: Does she speak French? Spiegazione: Usa does con she.

8. Errato: He doesn’t goes to school. Corretto: He doesn’t go to school. Spiegazione: Usa la forma base dopo doesn’t.