English Tenses · Start with everyday routines
Present Simple – Learn & Practise
“I work in a shop.” “She doesn’t drive.” “Do you study English?” Learn the patterns, then practise with 100 questions.
10 questions per round · Unlimited attempts · No sign-in needed
One small change. A new meaning.
1. What is the Present Simple?
We use the present simple to talk about things that happen regularly and things that are generally true. It does not usually describe an activity happening at this moment.
Habits and routines
“I take the bus to work.”
“She visits her mother every Sunday.”
Facts and situations
“Water freezes at 0°C.”
“We live in Ilford.”
“He likes his job.”
Timetables
“The lesson starts at ten.”
“The train leaves at six tomorrow.”
“I study every Tuesday.” The routine repeats. It does not mean I am studying right now.
2. Build a sentence
The subject is the person or thing we are talking about. The base form is the simple verb: work, live, study or go.
+ Positive
I / you / we / they + base verb
I work here.
He / she / it + verb with -s or -es
She works here.
− Negative
I / you / we / they + do not + base verb
I don’t work here.
He / she / it + does not + base verb
She doesn’t work here.
? Question
Do + I / you / we / they + base verb?
Do you work here?
Does + he / she / it + base verb?
Does she work here?
Remember: a name or one person usually works like he or she: “Aisha works here.” A plural subject works like they: “My friends work here.”
3. Positive, negative and question forms
| Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I live nearby. | I do not live nearby. | Do I live nearby? |
| You speak English. | You don’t speak English. | Do you speak English? |
| He drives to work. | He doesn’t drive to work. | Does he drive to work? |
| She studies English. | She doesn’t study English. | Does she study English? |
| It opens at nine. | It doesn’t open at nine. | Does it open at nine? |
| We need a ticket. | We don’t need a ticket. | Do we need a ticket? |
| They work here. | They don’t work here. | Do they work here? |
do not = don’t · does not = doesn’t. Both forms are correct. After don’t or doesn’t, always use the base verb: “She doesn’t study”, not “She doesn’t studies”.
4. Questions and short answers
Yes/No questions
“Do you work here?” → “Yes, I do.” / “No, I don’t.”
“Does he drive?” → “Yes, he does.” / “No, he doesn’t.”
“Do they live nearby?” → “Yes, they do.” / “No, they don’t.”
Use do or does again in the short answer. You do not need to repeat the main verb. Notice that a question with you usually needs an answer with I or we.
WH-questions: what, where, when, why and how
Question word + do/does + subject + base verb
- Where do you live?
- What time does the class start?
- When do they finish work?
- Why does she walk to work?
- How do you travel to college?
- How often does he exercise?
Who is different when it asks about the subject: “Who works here?” We do not usually add do or does in this type of positive subject question.
5. Spelling and verb rules
Most verbs: add -s
work → works
live → lives
read → reads
Some endings: add -es
watch → watches
wash → washes
fix → fixes
go → goes · do → does
Consonant + y: use -ies
study → studies
carry → carries
But vowel + y: play → plays.
Have becomes has
I have a bus pass.
She has a bus pass.
She doesn’t have a bus pass.
Does she have a bus pass?
Important: the verb “be” has its own pattern
Use am, is and are for the present forms of be: “I am a tutor.” “She is tired.” “They are at work.”
Do not use do or does with be: “She isn’t tired.” “Is she tired?” We say “Are you ready?”, not “Do you be ready?”
Was and were are past forms of be. This practice bank focuses on other present simple verbs.
6. Time expressions
Every day · every week · on Mondays · at the weekend · once a week · twice a month
These expressions often go at the end: “I visit my family at the weekend.”
Always · usually · often · sometimes · never usually go before the main verb: “She usually walks to work.” With be, they go after it: “He is always helpful.”
Never already has a negative meaning: say “I never drive”, not “I don’t never drive”.
7. Common mistakes
- “She work here.” → She works here.
- “He doesn’t works here.” → He doesn’t work here.
- “Does she lives nearby?” → Does she live nearby?
- “Where you work?” → Where do you work?
- “I am work in a shop.” → I work in a shop.
Audio uses your device’s English (UK) voice when available. No sound plays automatically.
8. Your practice space
Choose an activity. Each round has 10 questions. Type answers, choose an option or build a sentence. Read the feedback before moving on.
Full forms and standard contractions are accepted. Capital letters and final punctuation do not affect your score. Each answer is checked once per round; you can practise missed questions afterwards.
The final assessment draws from the practice bank. It is a learning check, not a qualification test.
Your round
9. Your progress
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10. Print and practise
Use these questions for classwork or homework. The print version includes 20 questions followed by the answer key on a separate page. Use your print settings to save as PDF if you prefer.
View worksheet questions and answers
- Complete the sentence: I ___ in a pharmacy. (work)
Answer: work - Complete the sentence: They ___ by bus. (travel)
Answer: travel - Complete the sentence: He ___ the news every evening. (watch)
Answer: watches - Complete the sentence: The bus ___ past the hospital. (go)
Answer: goes - Complete the sentence: We ___ fresh vegetables at the market. (buy)
Answer: buy - Complete the negative sentence: I ___ coffee at night. (drink)
Answer: do not drink - Complete the negative sentence: She ___ meat. (eat)
Answer: does not eat - Complete the negative sentence: The library ___ on bank holidays. (open)
Answer: does not open - Complete the negative sentence: My daughter ___ spicy food. (like)
Answer: does not like - Complete the negative sentence: My brother ___ French. (speak)
Answer: does not speak - Complete the question: ___ you walk to college?
Answer: Do - Complete the question: ___ she wash her uniform at home?
Answer: Does - Complete the question: ___ your parents live in London?
Answer: Do - Build a yes/no question. Use all the words.
Words: nine / before / breakfast / serve / they / Do
Answer: Do they serve breakfast before nine? - Build a yes/no question. Use all the words.
Words: bed / before / teeth / their / brush / children / the / Do
Answer: Do the children brush their teeth before bed? - Make this negative. Keep the same subject and details: I work in a pharmacy.
Answer: I do not work in a pharmacy. - Make this negative. Keep the same subject and details: We study English at college.
Answer: We do not study English at college. - Make a yes/no question. Keep the same subject and details: Our neighbours help at the food bank.
Answer: Do our neighbours help at the food bank? - Correct the mistake. Write the complete sentence: Do your sister live nearby?
Answer: Does your sister live nearby? - Correct the mistake. Write the complete sentence: We not need a taxi.
Answer: We do not need a taxi.
Keep practising
Try another activity, revisit a rule or use a grammar video to support your learning.
ESOLish · Present Simple
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Write your answers. Keep the same subject when changing sentences. Full forms and contractions are both correct.
Present Simple · Answer key
More free learning: esolish.com/english-tenses/