Simple Present Tense Exercises: Worksheet, Questions & Answers

Understanding Simple Present Tense

To start with, the simple present tense, also known as the present indefinite tense, is a verb form in the English language that we use to talk about habits, unchangeable facts, and things that are planned or fixed.

For example- I wake up every day at 7 am.

We call this present tense “simple” because its basic form consists of a single word, which in the example above is “wake.” In contrast, other forms of tenses like the present progressive (is waking) or present perfect (has woken), require auxiliary verbs and are considered more complex.

Structure of Simple Present Tense

You need to note that English grammar rules and structure for this tense vary slightly depending on the subject of the sentence:

• For I, you, we, they, we use the base form of the verb.
• For he, she, it, we add -s or -es to the verb.

Now that you have a better understanding, below is a simple present tense worksheet that you can solve to improve your English language proficiency.

Simple Present Tense Worksheet with Answers

In this worksheet of present indefinite tense, you will find different exercises that are designed to help you practice and reinforce your understanding of the simple present tense.

Exercise 1 - Fill in the Blanks with Simple Present Tense

In this first exercise, you have to fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verb that is given in the brackets. Also, keep in mind that if the sentence is negative, you have to use do not (don’t) or does not (doesn’t).

1. She always __________ (arrive) early for meetings.

2. The train __________ (leave) at 9:30 every morning.

3. My brother __________ (not like) eating vegetables.

4. We __________ (go) to the gym twice a week.

5. He usually __________ (take) the bus to work.

6. The teacher __________ (explain) the lesson clearly.

7. Cats __________ (sleep) most of the day.

8. I __________ (not understand) this math problem.

9. You __________ (need) to finish your homework on time.

10. The shop __________ (open) at 8 o’clock every day.

11. They __________ (play) basketball after school.

12. She __________ (study) French at the university.

13. The baby __________ (cry) when she is hungry.

14. We __________ (live) in a small town near the coast.

15. He __________ (drive) very carefully.

16. Birds __________ (migrate) during the winter.

17. You __________ (always, forget) your keys!

18. The computer __________ (work) perfectly now.

19. She __________ (write) emails to her clients every morning.

20. I __________ (prefer) tea over coffee.

Answer key

1. Arrives
2. Leaves
3. Does not like / doesn’t like
4. Go
5. Takes
6. Explains
7. Sleep
8. Do not understand / don’t understand
9. Need
10. Opens
11. Play
12. Studies
13. Cries
14. Live
15. Drives
16. Migrate
17. Always forget
18. Works
19. Writes
20. Prefer

Exercise 2 – Rearrange the Words to Make Simple Present Sentences

In this second exercise of the simple present tense worksheet, you have to rearrange the given words to form correct simple present tense sentences.

1. usually / he / to / work / by / goes / car

2. often / in / they / the / library / study

3. how / do / get / to / school / your / you?

4. late / breakfast / she / never / eats

5. meetings / every / the / manager / holds / month

6. playground / children / after / the / school / play / in

7. carefully / instructions / always / listens / he / to / the

8. drink / coffee / in / do / the / morning / you?

9. homework / my / helps / friend / me / with

10. usually / strangers / at / barks / the / dog

11. on / weekends / watch / movies / we / often

12. sometimes / forgets / he / his / keys

13. arrives / bus / the / at / school / seven

14. do / tennis / on / they / play / Saturdays?

15. every / cleans / day / she / her / room

16. check / you / emails / always / your

17. flows / into / the / river / sea / the

18. never / junk / eat / food / I

19. letters / writes / friends / to / his / he

20. like / to / cats / sleep / during / the / day

Answer Key

1. He usually goes to work by car.
2. They often study in the library.
3. How do you get to your school?
4. She never eats breakfast late.
5. The manager holds meetings every month.
6. Children play in the playground after school.
7. He always listens carefully to the instructions.
8. Do you drink coffee in the morning?
9. My friend helps me with homework.
10. The dog usually barks at strangers.
11. We often watch movies on weekends.
12. He sometimes forgets his keys.
13. The school bus arrives at seven.
14. Do they play tennis on Saturdays?
15. She cleans her room every day.
16. You always check your emails.
17. The river flows into the sea.
18. I never eat junk food.
19. He writes letters to his friends.
20. Cats like to sleep during the day.

Exercise 3 - Identify and Change the Verbs into Simple Present Tense

Another exercise in our present indefinite tense worksheet is verb identification & conversion. In this, you have to read each sentence, identify the main verb, and then write the sentence in the simple present tense.

1. He bought groceries from the store near his house.

2. They watched the movie in complete silence.

3. Maria was always excited about science experiments.

4. We drove through the mountains last summer.

5. I ate breakfast before leaving for work.

6. The students took notes during the lecture.

7. She sang beautifully at the concert.

8. The cat hid under the bed during the storm.

9. He thought about the problem for hours.

10. They spoke to the manager about the issue.

11. I forgot to lock the door.

12. She left her umbrella at home.

13. We sat in the front row.

14. The children ran to the playground as soon as the bell rang.

15. He wore his new shoes to the party.

16. I read an interesting article yesterday.

17. They built a treehouse in their backyard.

18. She drank a glass of water after her run.

19. The baby cried loudly when she fell.

20. The waiter brought our food quickly.

Answer Key

1. He buys groceries from the store near his house.
2. They watch the movie in complete silence.
3. Maria is always excited about science experiments.
4. We drive through the mountains every summer.
5. I eat breakfast before leaving for work.
6. The students take notes during the lecture.
7. She sings beautifully at the concert.
8. The cat hides under the bed during storms.
9. He thinks about the problem for hours.
10. They speak to the manager about the issue.
11. I forget to lock the door.
12. She leaves her umbrella at home.
13. We sit in the front row.
14. The children run to the playground as soon as the bell rings.
15. He wears his new shoes to the party.
16. I read an interesting article every day.
17. They build a treehouse in their backyard.
18. She drinks a glass of water after her run.
19. The baby cries loudly when she falls.
20. The waiter brings our food quickly.

Exercise 4 - Choose the Correct Verb Form to Make Simple Present Tense

In this next simple present tense exercise with answers you have to choose the correct form of the verb out of the two given options to complete the sentence.

1. Neither of the boys (know / knows) the answer to that question.

2. The committee (make / makes) important decisions every quarter.

3. My parents (travel / travels) abroad once a year.

4. A scientist always (observe / observes) carefully before concluding.

5. Each student (submit / submits) the assignment on time.

6. The news (sound / sounds) too good to be true.

7. People often (forget / forgets) how powerful words can be.

8. The manager, along with her team, (attend / attends) the weekly meetings.

9. Water (boil / boils) at 100 degrees Celsius.

10. His stories usually (inspire / inspires) young readers.

Answer key

1. Neither of the boys knows the answer to that question.
2. The committee makes important decisions every quarter.
3. My parents travel abroad once a year.
4. A scientist always observes carefully before concluding.
5. Each student submits the assignment on time.
6. The news sounds too good to be true.
7. People often forget how powerful words can be.
8. The manager, along with her team, attends the weekly meetings.
9. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
10. His stories usually inspire young readers.

Exercise 5 - Identify and Correct Errors in Simple Present Tense Sentences

Last is present tense error correction exercises, where each of the sentences contains one error related to the use of the simple present tense. You have to identify it and then write the correct sentence.

1. Neither of the twins know how to solve the puzzle.

2. She don't understand the instructions clearly.

3. The sound of violins fill the concert hall.

4. My uncle, along with his sons, own a bakery.

5. Why do she always arrive late?

6. Everyone in the class have a copy of the novel.

7. The data suggest that he is wrong.

8. Each of the children receive a small prize.

9. Time move quickly when you’re having fun.

10. He go jogging before sunrise every day.

Answer key

1. Neither of the twins knows how to solve the puzzle.
2. She doesn't understand the instructions clearly.
3. The sound of violins fills the concert hall.
4. My uncle, along with his sons, owns a bakery.
5. Why does she always arrive late?
6. Everyone in the class has a copy of the novel.
7. The data suggests that he is wrong.
8. Each of the children receives a small prize.
9. Time moves quickly when you’re having fun.
10. He goes jogging before sunrise every day.

Conclusion

To conclude, we have provided different simple present tense worksheet in this blog. Hopefully, you have solved all the questions carefully given in the exercises. To develop your English language skills, it is necessary to work on your base, and after going through the exercises, you can improve it. Apart from this, to enhance your learning of past tense and future tense, you can explore more blogs and solve multiple exercises without any cost.

FAQs

1. What Is Simple Present Tense and Example?

The simple present tense describes actions that happen continually in the present like every week, month, day, and so on. It is formed by using the root form of the verb and adding s/es to the third-person singular he, she, or it. For example, she studies hard.

2. When Do We Use the Simple Present Tense?

The simple present tense is mostly used to describe actions, facts, and general truths that are true in the present. This tense is also used for expressing feelings, perceptions, and thoughts.

3. What Are Common Mistakes Students Make with the Simple Present Tense?

Common mistakes in the simple present tense that most students make are adding do/does in positive sentences and not using them in questions and negative sentences. Remember, use does for (he, she, it) in questions and negative sentences, and use do for (I, you, we, they).

4. Can I Use the Simple Present Tense to Express Future Events?

Simple present tense can be used to express future events when those events are part of a fixed schedule or timetable. For example, the train leaves at 12:00 am, or the concert starts at 10:00 pm.

5. How to Ask Questions in Simple Present Tense?

By following the structure (do/does + subject + root verb/base verb) you can ask questions in the simple present tense. For example- does she study English? Or do they live here?