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Present Simple Tense for English Learners | How to Use It + Quiz

Prsent Simple Tense

The Present Simple tense is one of the most common tenses in English. We use Present Simple to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements.

When to Use It

Habits and Routines: When something happens regularly, like brushing your teeth or having dinner.

  • I brush my teeth twice a day.
  • She reads before bed every night.

Facts and General Truths: For things that are always true, such as the Earth going around the Sun.

  • Water boils at 100°C.
  • The sun rises in the East.
  • Scheduled Events in the Near Future: Often for timetables or schedules.
  • The train leaves at 9 PM tonight.
  • School starts on Monday.

How to Use It

Positive Sentences: The verb usually stays the same, but add 's' or 'es' if the subject is 'he,' 'she,' or 'it.'

  • I play football on Saturdays.
  • He watches TV in the evenings.

Negative Sentences: Use 'do not' or 'does not' (don't/doesn't) plus the base form of the verb.

  • I don't like spicy food.
  • She doesn't drink coffee.

Questions: Start with 'do' or 'does,' then the subject, then the base form of the verb.

  • Do you like chocolate?
  • Does he work with you?

The Present Simple is all about sharing the things we do, the truths we know, and the world we see, in the simplest way possible.

Positive Form

In the positive form, the structure is straightforward:

  • I play (I + play)
  • You work (You + work)
  • He/She/It reads (He/She/It + reads)
  • We study (We + study)
  • They cook (They + cook)

Note: With he/she/it, the verb often adds 's' or 'es'.

Negative Form

To form the negative, we use 'do not' (don't) or 'does not' (doesn't) with the base form of the verb:

  • I don't (do not) like (I + do not + like)
  • You don't (do not) go (You + do not + go)
  • He doesn't (does not) swim (He + does not + swim)
  • She doesn't (does not) run (She + does not + run)
  • It doesn't (does not) work (It + does not + work)
  • We don't (do not) play (We + do not + play)
  • They don't (do not) watch (They + do not + watch)

Question Form

The question form requires 'do' or 'does' at the beginning:

  • Do I speak? (Do + I + speak?)
  • Do you dance? (Do + you + dance?)
  • Does he eat? (Does + he + eat?)
  • Does she sing? (Does + she + sing?)
  • Does it move? (Does + it + move?)
  • Do we study? (Do + we + study?)
  • Do they cook? (Do + they + cook?)

Present Simple | Passive Voice

Using the Present Simple in passive voice focuses on the action rather than who or what is performing the action.

The structure for passive voice is:

Subject + is/are/am + past participle

Here are examples in the Present Simple tense:

  • English is spoken by people all over the world.
  • The book is read by students.
  • The songs are loved by listeners everywhere.

Present Simple Tense Quiz

Fill in the blanks with the correct words:

  1. The Present Simple tense is _______ in English.
  2. The Present Simple tense ________ everyday actions, habits, and truths.
  3. When something happens regularly, like brushing your teeth or having dinner, we call these ________.
  4. We use present Simple for things that are always ________, such as the Earth goes around the Sun.
  5. Often used for ________ or scheduled events in the near future.
  6. I ________ football on Saturdays.
  7. She ________ drink coffee.
  8. ______ you like chocolate?
  9. ______ he work with you?
  10. Remember, the Present Simple is all about sharing the things we do, the truths we know, and the world we see, in the ________ way possible.

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