present simple homework pdf

Present simple exercises

Negative forms

Questions - exercises

Mixed forms

Intermediate level

Worksheets - lessons

Present simple

Worksheets - pdf exercises.

• Simple present tense - pdf exercises
• Worksheet - questions pdf
• Present simple - pdf exercises
• Present simple - handout pdf
• Present simple exercises - answers
• Simple present worksheets -> answers
• Present simple - worksheets
• Present simple - negative
• Present simple - questions
• Simple present 2 -> answers
• The present simple - handout
• Affirmative, negative, questions
• Exercises : worksheets / handouts
• Present - worksheet pdf
• Worksheets pdf - print
• Grammar worksheets - handouts

Lessons - resources - videos

• Simple present tense - rules
• Present simple explanations
• Present tense - third person - rules

Printable Present Simple Exercises - 101 PDF Worksheets with Answers

Present Simple Tense Printable PDF Worksheet Tests with Exercises and Answers

Access a collection of 101 printable PDF worksheets focusing on the English grammar topic of the present simple . Download fill-in-the-blank tests with exercises and answer keys for present simple tense to print for free. The activities in the sheets are suitable for kids, adults, ESL learners at the beginner, elementary, and intermediate levels to practice English grammar.

Related Pages

• Present Simple Online Exercises
• Past Simple PDF Worksheets
• Present Continuous PDF Worksheets
• Present Perfect PDF Worksheets
• Present Perfect Continuous PDF Worksheets
• Present Simple Negative PDF Worksheets
• Present Simple Passive PDF Worksheets
• Present Simple Positive PDF Worksheets
• Present Simple Question PDF Worksheets
• Verb To Be PDF Worksheets

On a single day, you can download up to 3 PDFs for free!

https://first-english.org

Simple present worksheet - English online exercises

• English year 1
• Tenses English
• English year 2
• English year 3
• English year 4
• You are learning...
• English tenses
• Simple present
• 01 Simple present
• 02 Simple Present - facts
• 03 present signal words
• 04 present signal words
• 05 present signal words
• 06 Simple Present question
• 07 Simple Present question
• 08 Simple Present question
• 09 Simple Present question
• 10 Simple Present negative
• 11 Simple Present negative
• 12 Simple Present negative
• 30 work sheets
• English Tenses
• Simple Present Tense
• Simple Past Tense
• Present Perfect
• Past Perfect
• Going-to-Future
• Progressive Tenses
• Present Progressive
• Past Progressive
• Present Perfect Progr.
• Past Perfect Progressive
• Future 1 Progressive
• Future 2 Progressive
• Comparison of Tenses
• If clauses - Conditional
• Active Passive exercises
• Reported Speech

Simple present worksheets

Simple present worksheet exercises.

01 Simple Present worksheet PDF 01 Simple Present exercises answers - PDF 02 Simple Present to be  to be worksheet PDF 02 to be Simple Present  answers - 'to be' PDF 03 Simple Present to be  worksheet PDF 03 Simple Present to be  answers PDF

Signal words im Simple Present - worksheets

04 Simple Present signal words   PDF 04 Simple Present signal words 'to be' PDF 05 Simple Present signal words  PDF 05 Simple Present signal words   'to be' PDF 06 Simple Present signal words PDF 06 Simple Present signal words  answers - PDF

Questions simple present - worksheets

07 Simple Present do or does   PDF 07 Simple Present questions   PDF worksheet 08 Simple Present questions do or does 08 Simple Present questions   PDF 09 Simple Present questions to be PDF worksheet 09 Simple Present questions  answers PDF 10 Simple Present word order worksheet 10 Simple Present Word order   PDF

English videos with online exercises.

Negatives simple present worksheets

11 Simple Present negatives mixed exercises 11 Simple Present negatives   PDF 12 Simple Present negatives long form 12 Simple Present negatives   PDF 13 Simple Present negatives short form 13 Simple Present negatives  short PDF 14 Simple Present word order   short form exercises 14 Simple Present word order   PDF Learn more about tenses ...

Simple present exercises

00 Simple present grammar rules 01 Simple present exercises 02 Simple present 03 Signal words Simple Present 04 Signal words Simple Present   05 Simple present - signal words 06 Simple present questions 07 Questions Simple Present 08 Write questions exercise 09 Write questions exercise 10 Simple present negative 11 Simple present negative sentences 12 Simple present negative sentences

Browse MEP Blog →

• Lesson plans
• Learning theories

Simple Present Tense Worksheet (+PDF file with Key Answers)

• by MOHAMMED RHALMI
• December 1, 2021 April 11, 2023

Table of Contents

This is a simple present tense worksheet for beginners. The worksheet focuses on encouraging the students to discover the forms and use of the simple present. Starting from contextualizing the target language in an appropriate text, the students are then guided to discover the affirmative interrogative and negative forms of the simple present. They then are led through a controlled practice of the target language. The final activity consists of a class survey about classmates’ routines. This is meant to give the students the chance to produce an email in which the simple present must be used in a real-life-like situation.

• Level: Beginners
• Lesson objective: The students will be able to use the simple present forms (affirmative, negative, and interrogative to talk about daily routines.
• Timing: 55 minutes
• Materials: Sheets of paper

Simple Present Tense Worksheet For EFL and ESL Students

This is a present simple lesson worksheet for ESL and EFL Students. It is designed for beginners and

• Present simple reading comprehension: a short text that contextualizes the simple present forms.
• Verb forms (affirmative, negative, and interrogative).
• Use of the present simple.
• The third-person singular forms.
• The form of the negative and interrogative of the simple present.
• A class survey about daily routines.
• Writing an email to a friend about a classmate’s daily routines.

Reading Comprehension (Text With Present Simple Forms)

Read the following text and complete the chart below:

I am Ann and this is my sister Jane. We live together in a small flat in New York.  We both work in digital marketing. I work with an e-commerce Company but Jane works in an ad network agency. Unlike me, Jane is very organized.  She always wakes up at five o’clock in the morning. She goes jogging at half past five every day. She then has a shower and leaves home at seven o’clock.  She doesn’t have breakfast at home but she drinks orange juice at ten o’clock at work. She and her colleagues have lunch together at half past twelve at a restaurant near the office. They then have coffee and go back to work at half-past one. Jane finishes work at four o’clock. We meet at home at six o’clock in the evening. We have dinner together but we don’t watch TV. Instead, we go for a walk or meet friends. Jane goes to sleep early. I stay up late working on an online business.

Over to you! When do you get up ? What do you usually do during the week?

Awareness-raising

Complete the following table with work or works :, which statement is true about the simple present.

• The simple present is used to talk about future events.
• The simple present is used to talk about past events.
• The simple present is used to talk about permanent situations.
• The simple present is used to talk about things that are always true (general facts.)
• The simple present is used to talk about habits (things we do regularly.)

Add -s or -es to the following verbs:

Choose the correct verb form:.

• John _________ physics. a. teach b. teaches
• Leila and Nancy ____ to the gym every day. a. go b. goes
• I and my brother always ____ my mother. a. help b. helps
• He ____ the laundry every Sunday. a. do b. does
• My grandfather ____ fishing. a. like b. likes
• He _________ TV. a. don’t watch b. doesn’t watch

Rewrite the following sentences with the subject suggested:

• Nancy and Jane go to the gym on Sunday. Alan …
• They visit Paris every summer holiday. I …
• We read the newspaper every morning. My father …
• I watch the news in the evening. My brother …
• They have a cat. My sister …
• We sell digital products. This company …

Fill in the blanks with don’t or doesn’t :

• John and his wife _______ go to the mall.
• He _______ like shopping on Saturday.
• They_____ stay at home on Saturday.
• I and my sister _______ like to eat fish.
• He _______ know the truth.
• My brother _______ wear jeans.

Ask questions using the prompts below:

Example : you like football. è Do you like football?

• They visit Roma in June. …
• Nancy likes eating chicken. …
• Your sister goes to the gym every Sunday. …
• They sell electronic gadgets in this shop. …
• Your mother wakes up at 6 o’clock every day. …
• Your best friend works in a hotel. …

Write questions to the underlined words:

• Jane goes to the gym at 7 a.m . What time …
• He helps my mother . Who …
• She loves writing poems . What …
• He works in a café . Where …
• He does his homework in the evening . When …
• She washes the dishes every day. What …

Class survey

Ask students to have a class survey using the following questionnaire:

Writing an email

Once they finish, ask them to write an email to a friend of theirs, telling them about one of their classmate’s daily routines.

Hello, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to tell you about my classmate’s daily routines. Best, ……

Simple Present Worksheet (PDF + Key)

Help My English Pages: Buy the worksheet for just $1.

• Kindergarten-Numbers
• Grade 1-Counting
• Grade 1-Addition
• Grade 1-Subtraction
• Grade 1-Multiplication
• Grade 1-Division
• Creative Writing Prompts
• Famous Cities
• Eslways.com

• Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
• Alice in Wonderland
• Beauty and the Beast 
• Gingerbread Man
• Hansel and Gretel
• Jack and the Beanstalk
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Puss in Boots
• Sleeping Beauty
• Snow White
• Rumpelstiltskin
• The Bremen Town Musicians
• The Elves and the Shoemaker
• The Emperor's New Clothes
• The Frog Prince
• The Golden Goose
• The Tin Soldier
• Tom Thumb

• Classroom Language
• Describing People
• Environment
• Giving Directions
• Greeting People

• Privacy Policy
• Term of Use
• Report a Mistake

• 4th of July
• Accessories
• Action Verbs
• American/British English
• Animal Sounds
• Autumn/Fall
• Baby Animals
• Bathroom Objects
• Bedroom Objects
• Body Movement Verbs
• Body Parts
• Children Games
• Chinese Zodiac Signs
• Classroom Objects
• Classroom Verbs
• Clothes and Accessories
• Computer Parts
• Cooking Verbs
• Countries/Nationalities
• Daily Routines
• Days of the Week
• Detective Stories
• Easter Holiday
• Extreme Sports
• Face Parts
• Family Members
• Farm Animals
• Fast Food
• Father's Day
• Feelings/Emotions
• Films/Movies
• Food and Drinks
• Free Time Activities
• Gardening Tools
• Hand Tools
• Health Problems
• Holiday Types
• Household Chores
• Jobs/Occupations
• Junk Food
• Kitchen Appliances
• Kitchen Utensils
• Living Room Objects
• Means of Transport
• Mother's Day
• Musical Instruments
• Nationalities
• New Year's Eve
• Office Objects
• Opposite Adjectives
• Ordinal Numbers
• Party Types
• Personal Care Products
• Places in a City
• Places in a House
• Places at School
• School Subjects
• School Supplies
• Sea Animals
• Solar System
• Sports Verbs
• St. Patrick's Day
• Stationery Objects
• Thanksgiving
• TV Programmes
• Valentine's Day
• Weather Conditions
• Wild Animals
• Zodiac Signs
• Ability / Inability
• Auxiliary Verbs
• Because/Because Of
• Comparatives
• Conditionals
• Conjunctions
• Contractions
• Countables/Uncountables
• Demonstratives
• Determiners
• Frequency Adverbs
• Future Tenses
• Gerunds and Infinitives
• Imperative Mood
• Irregular Verbs
• Modal Verbs
• Must/Have To
• Participles
• Parts of Speech
• Passive Voice
• Past Continuous Tense
• Past Perfect Tense
• Past Simple Tense
• Phrasal Verbs
• Plural Nouns
• Possessive Adjectives
• Prepositions
• Present Continuous Tense
• Present Perfect Tense
• Present Simple Tense
• Punctuation Marks
• Quantifiers
• Regular Verbs
• Relative Clauses
• Reported Speech
• Sense Verbs
• Stative Verbs
• Subject/Verb Agreement
• Subordination
• Tag Questions
• Time Adverbs
• Used to
• Verb Tenses
• Verb To Be
• Wish Clauses
• Word Order

Present Simple Tense ESL Worksheets

Daily routines esl reading comprehension exercises worksheet, present simple daily routines esl gap fill exercise worksheet, daily routines esl dialogue comprehension exercises worksheet, present simple tense esl grammar exercises test worksheet, present simple tense esl multiple choice questions worksheet, daily routines esl printable speaking activity cards, daily routines esl printable writing activity worksheet.

Present Simple Tense ESL Word Order Exercise Worksheet

Don't or Doesn't ESL Printable Gap Fill Exercise Worksheet

Present Simple Tense and Jobs ESL Exercise Worksheet

Daily Routines ESL Printable Grammar Exercises Worksheet

Daily Routines ESL Printable Board Game

• English Grammar
• Present tense

Present simple

Level: beginner

The present tense is the base form of the verb:

I work in London. 

But with the third person singular ( she / he / it ), we add an –s :

She works in London.

Present simple questions

Look at these questions:

Do you play the piano? Where do you live ? Does Jack play football? Where does he come from ? Do Rita and Angela live in Manchester? Where do they work ?

We use do and does to make questions  with the present simple. We use does for the third person singular ( she / he / it ) and do for the others.

We use do and does with question words like where , what and when :

Where do Angela and Rita live ? What does Angela do ? When does Rita usually get up ?

But questions with who often don't use do or does :

Who lives in London? Who plays football at the weekend? Who works at Liverpool City Hospital?

Here are some useful questions. Try to remember them:

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYyNjY=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNjc=

ReorderingHorizontal_MTYyNjg=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNjk=

Present simple negatives

Look at these sentences:

I like tennis but I don't like football. (don't = do not) I don't live in London now. I don't play the piano but I play the guitar. They don't work at the weekend. John doesn't live in Manchester. (doesn't = does not) Angela doesn't drive to work. She goes by bus.

We use do and does to make negatives with the present simple. We use doesn't for the third person singular ( she / he / it ) and don't for the others.

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYyNzE=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNzI=

Present simple and present time

We use the present simple to talk about:

• something that is true in the present:

I 'm nineteen years old. I 'm a student. He lives in London.

• something that happens regularly in the present:

I play football every weekend.

• something that is always true:

The human body contains 206 bones. Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.

We often use adverbs of frequency  like sometimes , always and  never with the present simple:

I sometimes go to the cinema. She never plays football.

Here are some useful sentences. Complete them so that they are true for you and try to remember them:

Complete these sentences so that they are true for a friend and try to remember them:

MultipleChoice_MTYyNDA=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNDE=

GapFillTyping_MTY2MzY=

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYyNTg=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNjE=

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYyNjM=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNjQ=

Level: intermediate

Present simple and future time

We also use the present simple to talk about:

• something that is fixed in the future:

The school term  starts next week. The train leaves at 19.45 this evening. We fly to Paris next week.

• something in the future after time words like when , after and before and after if and unless :

I'll talk to John when I see him. You must finish your work before you go home. If it rains we'll get wet. He won't come unless you ask him.

ex. Present simple 8

Level: advanced

We sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when we are: 

• telling a story:

I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me and tells me he has lost his wallet and  asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a bit dangerous so I 'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there  …

• summarising a book, film or play:

Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts School. He has two close friends, Hermione and … Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost. The ghost tells him he has been murdered  …

Hello, Can you tell me why the present simple is used in the sentence below? I heard from David last night. He says hello.

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello Khangvo2812,

You can use the past simple or present simple here. The past simple means 'He said hello to you when I spoke' while the present simple can be understood as 'He says hello to you through me right now.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Peter I don't anticipate it stopping means : Most people consider a long time : a month or more than a month and Temporary: a few days or a few weeks can I use What most people consider ?

I'm afraid I don't understand what your question is. Could you please use inverted commas (') around the language that you're asking about? I think that would help me understand.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello Peter example i study computer engineering i am studying computer engineering you have said before i use simple present if we do not except to change in the near future what does mean near future more than year i use simple present a year or less i use present continuous?

The near future is not a fixed time which we can describe in this way. It is a question of how the speaker sees the action or situation. If the speaker sees the situation as permanent or unlikely to change for what they consider a long time then the present simple will be used. If the speaker sees it as temporary then the present continuous will be used. Sometimes a temporary situation can last year if in the speaker's mind it is going to change at some point. It's not a question of how long but rather how the speaker sees things.

I can say 'I study physics' even though I know the course only lasts four years because I don't anticipate it stopping. I can say 'I'm living in London' even if I think I'll be in London for a decade because I don't see it as my home but rather a place I'm in for a certain time. It's a question of perspective and it's subjective.

In the Simple Present Tense, we often use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs to emphasize positive sentences and commands. For example, 'I do speak' and 'He does come' However, when 'do' is used as a main verb, can we also use 'do' or 'does' for emphasis in sentences like- I do do. He does do. And similarly, can we use 'do' for emphasis in commands like- Do do.

I'd like to understand if 'do' and 'does' can be used to emphasize when 'do' is functioning as a main verb, such as 'I do my homework' or 'He does the dishes.'

Is it common to use 'do' and 'does' for emphasis in such sentences?

Additionally, can they be used in commands like- Do do your work

I am aware that these sentences may not be typical in daily conversation, but I am inquiring about their grammatical usage.

Kesari Prakash, Maharashtra, India.

Hi Prakash,

Yes, it is grammatically fine, including in commands (imperatives). As you suspected, these sentences sound a bit unusual because of the double "do", but they are grammatical.

I should mention that "do" as a main verb requires an object or a complement, so the first set of sentences should be something like:

• I do do (well).
• He does do (a good job).
• Do do (that).

I hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

Could you please explain the grammatical differences between the following sentences:

'It is a bus.' 'There is a bus.' 'There goes the bus!' Additionally, could you clarify the grammatical roles of the words 'there' and 'bus' in these sentences? Specifically, are they considered dummy subjects, subjects, adverbs of place, or nouns?

Hi Prakash,

Sure, I'll try to help.

It is a bus  - in this sentence, the speaker/writer is identifying something ("It"). "It" is a dummy subject.

There is a bus  - "There" is an adverb, introducing the subject of the sentence "a bus". The normal word order of the sentence is inverted.

There goes the bus  - "There" is an adverb of place. It indicates a particular place or space (while in the previous sentence, in the most common use of "There is", "There" indicates the existence of something, with a weaker meaning of pointing to a particular place or space). The normal word order is inverted too. The subject is "the bus".

Hello, Which grammatical construction should I use in video tutorials? I mean knitting tutorials, where I show how to knit step by step. Is it correct to use Present Simple in tutorials and video instructions? For example: «I just cut it in two places, here and here, to have such tails, and after this I make 9 loops with the needles...» I've met people using Present Simple and/or Going To in their tutorials. Why nobody uses Present Continuous without Going To in the tutorials?

Hi chonburi,

Grammatically, there's no problem with using present continuous to explain what you are doing in that moment ( I'm cutting here ... I'm looping it ... ). The present continuous focuses on what's happening at a particular moment.

But since you probably have many steps to make the final product, it would be unusual to use the present continuous to focus on every single step. It's more usual to use the present simple to describe a sequence of actions like this. But, while mainly using the present simple, you can also use present continuous at particular times to emphasise important moments or actions.

Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes sense. Thank you very much for your help!

Can I use the present simple to describe what I see in an image? Not just the facts, but even the actions in progress at the time the photograph was taken?

Hello CarolinaRuiz,

My sense is that we typically use the present continuous to describe an image, unless we're using link or stative verbs.

Imagine an image of a family having a picnic on the grass in a park. We'd typically say things like 'The mother is giving the children some fruit', 'The father is arranging the blanket', 'The girl is drinking some water' to describe actions -- note all the present continuous forms here. But we do also use the present simple quite a bit, e.g. 'The boy looks hungry', 'The father is happy', 'The girl wants to play football', etc. These are all stative or link verbs.

But of course if we're talking about an image of a picnic we were at some time in the past, we'd probably use a range of past tense forms.

In a speaking exam where we're asked to speculate what will happen next in an image, we of course would use appropriate forms there as well.

Hope this answers your question. If not, please let us know.

Hello, Kirk.

Yes, it answered my question. Thank you!!

OK, thanks for confirming! Best wishes

Could you please help me with the following:

1. From today, they take their exams. (Their exams started today and will continue for about two weeks). Is Present Simple correct here? Or have I to day "From today, they have taken/have been taking their exams" or "From today they are taking their exams"?

2. I've seen the following sentence on BBC website: "Goalkeeper signs new three-and-a-half-year Bristol City deal". Could you please explain why Present Simple is used here? Is "will sign" or "is going to sign" possible here?

Thank you so much for your help! I appreciate it a lot! And I'm grateful for the answer to this post beforehand!

Hello howtosay_,

1. The present simple is fine here. The exams are a scheduled event and the present simple is appropriate for this. You could use other forms. Will be taking is often used for expected events or actions, and are taking is also possible for arrangements. Will take is possible but would suggest a decision being taken by the speaker rather than a description of the situation. The present perfect does not work here as it suggests an action which began in the past and continues to the present, not one beginning in the present and extending into the future.

2. The present simple is very common in news headline. If you look at the article you will see other verb forms used in the main body, such as present perfect and past simple.

Sir, could you please answer me which one is correct? 1.When I have breakfast, my mom prepares my lunch. 2.When I am having breakfast, my mom prepares my lunch. Is there have any difference? could you explain me, Sir?

Hello JameK,

The second sentence tells us that your mom prepares your lunch while you are in the process of eating breakfast.

The first sentence is ambiguous. It could mean that your mom waits until you have breakfast and then starts to prepare lunch. Maybe you prepare your breakfast and the kitchen is only available for her to prepare lunch once you sit down to eat, for example. Alternatively, it could mean that on certain days you don't have breakfast and on certain days you do and on the days when you have breakfast your mom prepares your lunch. Without any other context it's not clear.

Thank you Sir.

Hello Sir, thank you so much for your wonderful and practical explenation. I wanted to please ask you about the last part, where you explained about using "Present simple" \ "Present continuous" - when talking about the "past" - when you're telling a story and you want to pull the listener into the moment . In the example story you gave, you used both tenses.

My question is - how sould I know, in this case, when to use in the story the"Present simple" and when the "Present continuous"?

Great, I'm glad you found it useful :)

The present simple is used for the main sequence of events (i.e. the things that happened). The present continuous is used for events which are a background to others, as in the example above ("While we are standing there ..." - it seems that "standing there" was the background action to another action that happened). In that way, the use is similar to the use of the past simple and past continuous in a conventional past narrative.

The present continuous can also be used to heighten even further the effect of being in the moment. Adapting the example above, for example: "Well, he's looking a bit dangerous so I'm not feeling sure ..."

Sir I'm have some questions regarding simple present tense. For example Daniel goes to market or I don't like black coffee. These are simple present but what about these sentences like Tom does work everyday or I do work everyday. Can you explain do and does sentence ? Next one is about questions. For example where do you live ? or where she does live ? these sentences are easy because w form words are used in first place but the problem is with the sentences like. Do you know how to bake a cake ? In this w form word is used in between of the sentence. Sir can you explain this too ?

Hello AbdulBasit1234,

'do' and 'does' work as both auxiliary verbs and as main verbs. For example, in 'Tom does work every day', 'does' is a form of the verb 'do' -- it means to carry out an action. But in questions or negatives, 'do' and 'does' are auxiliary verbs: in 'He doesn't work on Monday', 'doesn't' is an auxiliary verb; 'work' is the main verb. It's also possible for 'do' to be both an auxiliary and a main verb in a sentence where the main verb is 'do': 'He doesn't do much work' ('doesn't' is auxiliary, 'do' is main).

I'm not sure I understand your second question. If you are asking about 'how', 'how to bake a cake' is simple a phrase. A phrase can take the place of a simple noun. For example, we could replace the phrase with a noun like 'Judy' ('Do you know Judy?') and the sentence structure is the same.

All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

I am a little bit confused about the present tense in short story.

Story: I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me and tells me he has lost his wallet and asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a bit dangerous so I'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there …

I am confused about where it starts with "I was" and then turns to present tense.

Hope you can answer

Hi sxphia_jx,

This is actually quite common in spoken English. Normally, we use past forms for telling stories (narratives). In fact, the verb forms past simple, past continuous, past perfect simple and past perfect continuous are collective sometimes known as 'narrative tenses'. However, when we are recounting a story in a more informal setting (such as telling a joke or a sharing an anecdote), we can use present forms to give a sense of immediacy and to bring the story more to life. As you can see from this text, it's possible to begin with past forms and then switch to present forms for effect.

Present forms can even be used in this way in writing and even in novels. Some well-known examples include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey), Bleak House (Charles Dickens) and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins).

I have gone through the article on present simple. It is wonderfully written and has covered its different uses.

What I learnt is that it can be used to talk about the scheduled future events, for example: - 1. The school term starts next week. 2. The train leaves at 19:45 this evening. 3. We fly to Paris next week.

I would like to ask whether we can use simple future (instead of simple present) in these type of sentences like 1. The school term will start next week. 2. The train will leave at 19:45 this evening. 3. We will fly to Paris next week.

Is there any difference in the meaning of the above sentences due to replacement of present simple by future simple or do they mean exactly the same?

Hello Mohit,

I'm glad that you found the page useful. I think you'd find the Talking about the future page useful as well, as it compares the different forms most commonly used to speak about the future. It doesn't cover all possible uses, but is definitely quite useful.

In theory, the three sentences with 'will' could be correct in an appropriate situation, but I'm afraid I'm having a hard time thinking of an example for any of them. The present simple ones are much more commonly used.

If you have a specific situation in mind, please let us know.

Hi, I have questions about summarising. Is it possible to write a whole summary ( for example a book ) in past tenses? And why do we use present tenses + past tenses in a summary?

Hello IRaisa,

Yes, it's possible to use past tenses to summarise. People often use present tenses when telling a story because it makes the story seem more alive or more real. The present tense reflects the reality of the listener, who is finding out about the story in the moment they are hearing it.

In a summary, the present can have a similar sense, or it can also have the sense that the story (or film or whatever) is something that is kind of timeless since it can be told at any time. That is, you can read the book now or read it in the future, and other people read it in the past. It might help to think of the story as a building or the sunrise. Both existed yesterday, are happening today, and we expect them to exist or happen again tomorrow. Just as we say 'The sun rises in the morning', we can use a present simple form to tell or summarise a story.

I hope that's helpful (and not more confusing!). In any case, it's OK to use the past to make a summary of a story, but the present is quite commonly used as well.

Thanks, but I still have a question I read a lot of times when somebody connected Present tenses + past tenses for example Barbossa recruits Gibbs, who burns the charts, admitting he memorized every location. Harry deduces that Voldemort is hunting the Elder Wand, which had passed to Dumbledore after he defeated Grindelwald

What is the purpose of that?

In these cases, the past tense shows that those actions happened before the actions in present tense. The present tense is used to narrate the action or 'current' situation in the story, but, as you have noticed, other tenses can be used when it's necessary to refer to other times.

Hello Sir, I have a question – In the following sentence is there any error in 'made it clear' → 'made clear' OR 'poses' → 'pose ' ( as CLIMATE CHANGE and Continued Ecosystem Degradation two nouns are used so we should not add 's/es' in the main verb

Please make it clear Sorry sir, The sentence is: Science has made it clear the adverse impacts that climate change and continued ecosystem degradation poses for the physical world.

Hello Analiza,

The 'it' should be omitted and the verb should be plural: 'Science has made clear the adverse impacts that climate change and continued ecosystem degradation pose for the physical world.'

Sir, cold you explain me this sentence 'give me my book'. Why we use the present simple verb and in what category the verb 'give' belongs to.I mean,is it routine, habit, future, fact?

If this is the full sentence then it is an imperative form. The imperative is used when giving instructions or commands and it is the same as the base form:

Give me my book!

The negative is formed with don't :

Don't go in - the boss is in a meeting.

Don't do that.

Hello I am a fan

Let's say simple present tense is used to describe about the routine or habit of a subject. There is no subject present in the sentence you provided. It is not a sentence of simple present tense instead we can say that it is a sentence of present tense. Hindimadhyam.in

Hi, I'd like to ask about adverbs of frequency. I read on your website ( teens ) we can use them at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. "We can use usually, often, sometimes and occasionally at the beginning of a sentence, and sometimes and often at the end." I watch a movie on youtube and a teacher said we can use them in order to emphasise and de-emphasis. So do we use them at the beginning to emphasis and de-emphasis at the end? What's more I'd like to ask about Definite Adverbs of Frequency. For example Every week, In the morning, weekly we can use at the end and if we put them at the beginning they give more emphasis or are they de-emphasised? In additional, can we use any adverb of frequency at the beginning in questions? And what is the difference if we put a signal word after person and after negative ? Is there any difference? I normally don't watch YouTube I don't normally watch YouTube Can we use occasionally, sometimes after negative? I don't occasionally... I don't sometimes...

As you've already observed, the position of adverbs is quite slippery; they are used in many different ways. Our grammar explanations don't go into all the details because it's generally best to learn the basics first and then beyond that it's usually best to have a teacher explain the more complex cases.

Those are a lot of questions! I'm afraid I can't go into depth on all of them, but, taking your question about adverbs of definite frequency, as I understand it, they generally go in front position when they are not the main focus of the idea. For example, if you say 'Every morning I study for 15 minutes', the main focus is on the fact that it's studying that you do every morning; the focus is not on the fact that it is the morning that you do this, but rather that it is studying that you do.

Does that help?

It's okay. I thank you for the answer

I made a sentence: "My idea is main", could you tell me whether it is wrong or not (Please explain and reply to me as fast as possible)

Thank you very much Paul.

Hello Paul-Phan,

Most adjectives can be used before a noun (e.g. in 'The red house is new', the adjective 'red' comes before the noun 'house'; this position of the adjective before the noun is called 'attributive position') or after a link verb (e.g. in 'The house is red', the adjective 'red' comes after the link verb 'is'; this position of the adjective after a link verb is called 'predicative position').

But there are some adjectives that are only used in attributive position or predicative position. 'main' is an adjective that is only used in attributive position -- you can see this in this dictionary entry where it says ' adjective   [ only before noun ] '.

Therefore I'm afraid that your sentence is not correct in normal usage. You could perhaps say something like 'My idea is the main one' or 'My idea is central' instead.

Hope this helps.

Hello sir ,

can we use just future tense without present tense in example above (If it rains we ‘ll get up ) , can we say ( if it will rains we will get up )

Hello g-ssan,

No, we generally don't use 'will' in the if-clause. The exception is when we want to say something like 'if you are so stubborn and insist on...' or 'if you refuse to change'. For example:

If you will arrive late then you will have problems > If you refuse to change and insist on arriving late then you will have problems.

Obviously the weather cannot insist on anything as it is not a person so this rare exception does not apply here.

By the way, strictly speaking English has no future tense. 'Will' is a modal verb which can refer to future time but can also have other meanings. In many cases you can replace 'will' with other modal verbs:

I will go tomorrow > I might/may/should/could/can/ought to/must (etc) go tomorrow.

Hi Jonathan, Thanks so much for your reply. If a teacher in the class wants to ask whether his students already understand his explanation, [1] can he use one of the following questions ? (a) Do you understand what I've just explained to you? (b) Did you understand..... ? (c) Do you get what I've just explained to you ? (d) Did you get....... ? (e) Have you got......?

[2] If all the above questions are appropriate, which one(s) is(are) the most commonly used in this situation?

I would highly appreciate your help.

Best regards,

Online courses

Group and one-to-one classes with expert teachers.

Learn English in your own time, at your own pace.

One-to-one sessions focused on a personal plan.

Get the score you need with private and group classes.  

Search form

• A1-A2 grammar

Present simple

Daisy is chatting to her brother Oliver, and his best mate Alfie, about her new boyfriend. Daisy and Oliver’s mum is working in Thailand this week.

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of the present simple. They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, the present simple tense.

Alfie: So, how’s it going with Jack? Daisy: Not great. I mean, I like him a lot, but it’s impossible! During the week I have swimming practice on Mondays, I do taekwondo on Tuesdays and tennis on Thursdays. Alfie: Do you see him on Wednesdays, then? Daisy: No, he watches black and white films at his cinema club on Wednesdays. Oliver: Yeah, and they’re not just really old films, Alfie, they watch foreign ones with subtitles too! Alfie: Well, there’s always the weekend. Do you go out together at the weekends? Daisy: That’s just it, it’s tricky. He works in the bookshop all day Saturday and he goes out with his mates from the book club on Saturday evenings. Alfie: Whoa! Book club? So, he loves old films and books!? Mmm ... Does he like sports? Daisy: Not really. He thinks chess is a sport! Well, he watches football on the telly sometimes, but he doesn’t play any sports. Alfie: Mmm ... I think you’re right. It’s impossible! Daisy: Right, I’m late. See you later. Alfie and Oliver: See you, Daisy.

Sophie: Hi, love. Oliver: All right, Mum? Sophie: Yeah, I’m fine. Oliver: Good trip? Sophie: Not bad, but Thailand’s really hot at this time of year. I’m off to Chiang Mai tomorrow to do a three-day trek. The train leaves at 5 in the morning. How’s Daisy? Is she with you? Oliver: No, she has tennis on Thursdays. Sophie: Ah, of course. No problem. Listen, ask Daisy to phone me later, OK? The number of the hotel is on the fridge and I’m in room 37. Oliver: All right, Mum. Speak later. Watch out for the snakes! Sophie: Thanks, Ollie! Bye, love. See you Sunday. Alfie: Is your mum in Thailand this week? Oliver: Yeah. Trekking in Chiang Mai for three days. Alfie: Wow – that beats going to college. Imagine, three days in the jungle! I can’t imagine my mum doing that. Cool. Does she like walking? Oliver: No, not really. Only if it’s to go shopping on the high street! Alfie: See you tomorrow. Oliver: Yeah, see you tomorrow. 

We use the present simple to talk about repeated actions or events, permanent states or things which are always true. To find out more about the present simple, read and listen to the conversation below.

Can you give me some examples?

Yes, of course. We use the present simple to talk about things which are repeated every day, every week, every year, etc.

I usually get up at 7 o'clock. During the week I have swimming practice on Mondays, I do taekwondo on Tuesdays and tennis on Thursdays. We always go on holiday in the summer.

I see. And you use words for explaining more about the time too.

Yes, we often use adverbs of frequency sometimes , often , usually or other time expressions like on Mondays , twice a week or in the summer .

What about permanent states? What does that mean?

Permanent states are situations or feelings which are not temporary.

I like him a lot. Sophie works as a travel writer. They live in London.

We also use the present simple for general facts, for example when talking about science or geography.

Thailand is really hot at this time of year. Snakes live on the ground, in trees and in water.

So what do I need to know about forming the present simple?

The main thing is that the third person singular forms end in - s or - es . That's for he , she or it .

He watches black and white films at his cinema club on Wednesdays. He thinks chess is a sport!

OK, and the other forms don't end in - s   or - es ?   I watch TV a lot . We think Coldplay are boring .

What about questions and negatives?

For most verbs we use the present simple of the verb do/does + subject + infinitive without to to form questions.

Do you see him on Wednesdays then? Does Jack like sports?

For negatives we use the subject + do/does + not + infinitive without to .

Daisy and Jack don't go out together much at the weekend. I don't think Coldplay are boring.

To go back to the idea of permanent and temporary things, what about this sentence: Is your mum in Thailand this week? Isn't that temporary?

Yes, it is. That's a very good point. Normally we use the present simple for permanent states, and the present continuous for temporary states, but some verbs are thought of as State Verbs and they are not usually used in the continuous form.

And the verb to be is one of those verbs?

Exactly! So even though staying in Thailand is temporary, we use the present simple with the verb to be . Here's another example:

How' s Daisy? Is she with you?   

But that isn't the question form you just told me about! Where's the do ?

Ah, no. I said 'for most verbs we use do in questions'. The verb to be is different and so are modal verbs like can . We'll look at the verb to be separately because it's different and very common.

What are the other state verbs?

We'll look at those when we look at the Present Continuous. Any more questions?

Yes, what about: The train leaves at 5 in the morning?  Isn't that talking about an event in the future?

Yes, it is, but it's also a repeated event. This is sometimes called the 'timetable future'.

OK, I have a maths class in a minute, so I have to go.

Good use of the 'timetable future'! Bye!

Check your grammar: true or false - present simple

Check your grammar: multiple choice - present simple, check your grammar: gap fill - present simple, worksheets and downloads.

Tell us about your typical day. Remember to use the present simple!

Sign up to our newsletter for LearnEnglish Teens

We will process your data to send you our newsletter and updates based on your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of every email. Read our privacy policy for more information.

Present Simple Tense

Loading ad...

two exercises to practise positive, negative and question form of present simple tense

• Google Classroom
• Microsoft Teams
• Download PDF