English Grammar: Simple Present Tense

1. Introduction

Hello there! 👋 Welcome to our fun grammar lesson! Today, we are going to learn about a magical thing called the Simple Present Tense.

What is a "Tense"? A tense is just a tool that tells us when something happens.

We use the Simple Present Tense to talk about:

• Things we do every day (like brushing our teeth).

• Things that are always true (like the sun being hot).

• Things we like or enjoy (our hobbies).

It is like taking a picture of what happens normally in our daily lives. Do not worry about hard words; a "Subject" is just who does the action (like "I" or "The cat"), and a "Verb" is just an action word (like "run" or "jump"). Let's dive in! 🌟

2. Rules of Simple Present Tense

Here are the rules to help us build perfect sentences. Notice how the action word (the verb) is highlighted in every example!

Positive Sentences

Positive sentences are happy, normal sentences that tell us what happens. We just put the subject (who) and the verb (the action) together!

1. I play with my toys.

2. You run very fast.

3. We eat yummy apples.

4. They read good books.

5. The cats sleep on the bed.

6. He jumps on the trampoline.

7. She sings a sweet song.

8. It rains in the spring.

9. My dad cooks dinner.

10. The bird flies high.

Negative Sentences

Negative sentences say "no" or "not." We use the helping words "do not" (don't) or "does not" (doesn't) before the verb.

1. I do not like spicy food.

2. You do not walk to school.

3. We do not watch scary movies.

4. They do not play in the mud.

5. My friends do not shout in class.

6. He does not eat broccoli.

7. She does not cry often.

8. It does not snow in summer.

9. The dog does not bite.

10. Mom does not drive fast.

Questions

When we want to ask something, we put "Do" or "Does" at the very beginning of the sentence!

1. Do I look nice today?

2. Do you want a cookie?

3. Do we have homework?

4. Do they live near the park?

5. Do the boys play soccer?

6. Does he ride a bike?

7. Does she paint pictures?

8. Does it sound loud?

9. Does the teacher smile?

10. Does your brother swim?

Use with Singular Subjects (he, she, it)

When we talk about only ONE person, animal, or thing (like he, she, or it), the verb needs a friend! We must add an "s" to the end of the action word.

1. He kicks the ball.

2. She draws a flower.

3. It barks at the mailman.

4. The boy laughs.

5. The girl dances.

6. The sun shines.

7. My cat purrs.

8. The clock ticks.

9. The baby crawls.

10. The car stops.

Use with Plural Subjects (I, we, you, they)

When we talk about MORE THAN ONE person, or if we use the special words "I" or "You", the verb is happy alone. We do NOT add an "s".

1. I drink milk.

2. We share our toys.

3. You listen to music.

4. They build a sandcastle.

5. The children play outside.

6. The dogs run fast.

7. My parents work hard.

8. The birds sing loudly.

9. You and I make a great team.

10. The stars glow at night.

Adding -s, -es, and -ies

For singular subjects (he, she, it), we usually just add -s. But if the verb ends in special letters like ch, sh, s, x, or o, we add -es. If it ends in a consonant + y, we change the y to i and add -es.

1. He catches the ball. (catch + es)

2. She washes her hands. (wash + es)

3. It buzzes loudly. (buzz + es)

4. He fixes the broken toy. (fix + es)

5. She goes to school. (go + es)

6. He does his homework. (do + es)

7. The bird flies away. (fly -> flies)

8. She cries when sad. (cry -> cries)

9. He carries the heavy box. (carry -> carries)

10. My mom kisses me goodnight. (kiss + es)

Daily Habits and Routines

We use the Simple Present to talk about things we do every single day as a routine.

1. I wake up at 7 o'clock.

2. We brush our teeth every morning.

3. You eat breakfast in the kitchen.

4. They go to bed at 8 o'clock.

5. He packs his school bag.

6. She combs her hair.

7. The bus arrives at 8:30 AM.

8. We eat lunch at noon.

9. I feed my fish every day.

10. She reads a bedtime story.

Facts and Universal Truths

We use it to talk about facts—things that are always true no matter what!

1. Ice melts in the sun.

2. Water boils on the stove.

3. The Earth goes around the sun.

4. Cats have four legs.

5. Fish live in water.

6. Winter is cold.

7. Fire feels hot.

8. Birds lay eggs.

9. Spiders spin webs.

10. Wood floats on water.

Hobbies and Likes

We use this tense to talk about things we love doing for fun!

1. I like chocolate ice cream.

2. We love playing video games.

3. You enjoy painting.

4. They hate eating mushrooms.

5. He plays the piano.

6. She collects pretty stones.

7. It loves chasing lasers.

8. I skate on the weekends.

9. My sister bakes cookies.

10. We watch cartoons on Saturday.

3. Sentence Structure

Here are some easy tables to show you how we build these sentences!

Positive Sentences

Subject (Who)	Verb (Action)	Object (What)
I / You / We / They	play	football.
He / She / It	plays	football.

Negative Sentences

Subject (Who)	do / does + not	Verb (Action)	Object (What)
I / You / We / They	do not (don't)	play	tennis.
He / She / It	does not (doesn't)	play	tennis.

Questions

Do / Does	Subject (Who)	Verb (Action)	Object (What) + ?
Do	I / You / We / They	like	apples?
Does	he / she / it	like	apples?

4 & 5. Fill-in-the-Blanks Practice & Answers

Let's practice! See if you can pick the right verb. The answers and explanations are right below each set.

Set 1: Positive Sentences

1. I _____ (jump/jumps) on the bed.

2. You _____ (look/looks) happy today.

3. We _____ (sing/sings) a song together.

4. They _____ (run/runs) in the park.

5. The frogs _____ (hop/hops) near the pond.

6. He _____ (smile/smiles) at his friend.

7. She _____ (read/reads) a fairy tale.

8. It _____ (sleep/sleeps) all day.

9. My mom _____ (cook/cooks) soup.

10. The teacher _____ (help/helps) the students.

Answers for Set 1:

1. jump (Because with "I", we do not add an "s".)

2. look (Because with "You", the verb stays normal.)

3. sing (Because "We" is plural, so no "s" is needed.)

4. run (Because "They" is plural, so we do not add an "s".)

5. hop (Because "frogs" means more than one, so no "s".)

6. smiles (Because "He" is one person, so we add an "s".)

7. reads (Because "She" is one person, so we add an "s".)

8. sleeps (Because "It" is singular, so we add an "s".)

9. cooks (Because "mom" is one person, so we add an "s".)

10. helps (Because "teacher" is one person, so we add an "s".)

Set 2: Negative Sentences

1. I _____ (do not/does not) like bugs.

2. You _____ (do not/does not) sleep late.

3. We _____ (do not/does not) fight.

4. They _____ (do not/does not) eat loud.

5. The cats _____ (do not/does not) swim.

6. He _____ (do not/does not) cry.

7. She _____ (do not/does not) walk to school.

8. It _____ (do not/does not) bite.

9. My dad _____ (do not/does not) shout.

10. The turtle _____ (do not/does not) run fast.

Answers for Set 2:

1. do not (We use "do not" with the subject "I".)

2. do not (We use "do not" with the subject "You".)

3. do not (We use "do not" with the plural subject "We".)

4. do not (We use "do not" with the plural subject "They".)

5. do not (Because "cats" is plural, we use "do not".)

6. does not (Because "He" is singular, we use "does not".)

7. does not (Because "She" is singular, we use "does not".)

8. does not (Because "It" is singular, we use "does not".)

9. does not (Because "dad" is one person, we use "does not".)

10. does not (Because "turtle" is one animal, we use "does not".)

Set 3: Questions

1. _____ (Do/Does) I have paint on my nose?

2. _____ (Do/Does) you like pizza?

3. _____ (Do/Does) we need our jackets?

4. _____ (Do/Does) they play basketball?

5. _____ (Do/Does) the boys share their toys?

6. _____ (Do/Does) he like blue cars?

7. _____ (Do/Does) she skip rope?

8. _____ (Do/Does) it rain here?

9. _____ (Do/Does) the dog bark loudly?

10. _____ (Do/Does) the baby smile?

Answers for Set 3:

1. Do (We use "Do" to ask questions with "I".)

2. Do (We use "Do" to ask questions with "you".)

3. Do (We use "Do" for the plural subject "we".)

4. Do (We use "Do" for the plural subject "they".)

5. Do (Because "boys" is plural, we use "Do".)

6. Does (Because "he" is singular, we use "Does".)

7. Does (Because "she" is singular, we use "Does".)

8. Does (Because "it" is singular, we use "Does".)

9. Does (Because "the dog" is one animal, we use "Does".)

10. Does (Because "the baby" is one person, we use "Does".)

Set 4: Singular Subjects (he, she, it)

1. He _____ (kick/kicks) the ball high.

2. She _____ (draw/draws) a sunny picture.

3. It _____ (purr/purrs) happily.

4. The tiger _____ (roar/roars) loudly.

5. The girl _____ (dance/dances) well.

6. The monkey _____ (climb/climbs) the tree.

7. He _____ (drink/drinks) all his juice.

8. She _____ (wear/wears) a red hat.

9. It _____ (smell/smells) like chocolate.

10. The teacher _____ (point/points) at the board.

Answers for Set 4:

1. kicks (Add "s" because "He" is singular.)

2. draws (Add "s" because "She" is singular.)

3. purrs (Add "s" because "It" is singular.)

4. roars (Add "s" because "The tiger" is one animal.)

5. dances (Add "s" because "The girl" is one person.)

6. climbs (Add "s" because "The monkey" is one animal.)

7. drinks (Add "s" because "He" is singular.)

8. wears (Add "s" because "She" is singular.)

9. smells (Add "s" because "It" is singular.)

10. points (Add "s" because "The teacher" is one person.)

Set 5: Plural Subjects (I, we, you, they)

1. I _____ (paint/paints) with my fingers.

2. We _____ (build/builds) a big fort.

3. You _____ (listen/listens) to the story.

4. They _____ (share/shares) the cookies.

5. The birds _____ (chirp/chirps) in the morning.

6. The children _____ (laugh/laughs) at the joke.

7. My friends _____ (walk/walks) together.

8. The cows _____ (eat/eats) the green grass.

9. You and I _____ (make/makes) a mess.

10. The apples _____ (fall/falls) from the tree.

Answers for Set 5:

1. paint (No "s" needed with "I".)

2. build (No "s" needed with plural "We".)

3. listen (No "s" needed with "You".)

4. share (No "s" needed with plural "They".)

5. chirp (No "s" needed because "birds" is plural.)

6. laugh (No "s" needed because "children" is plural.)

7. walk (No "s" needed because "friends" is plural.)

8. eat (No "s" needed because "cows" is plural.)

9. make (No "s" needed because "You and I" means "We".)

10. fall (No "s" needed because "apples" is plural.)

Set 6: Adding -s, -es, and -ies

1. He _____ (wash/washes) his car.

2. She _____ (fly/flies) on an airplane.

3. It _____ (buzz/buzzes) around the flower.

4. My brother _____ (watch/watches) cartoons.

5. The baby _____ (cry/cries) for milk.

6. He _____ (fix/fixes) the broken chair.

7. She _____ (do/does) a great job.

8. The dog _____ (catch/catches) the stick.

9. He _____ (carry/carries) my backpack.

10. The teacher _____ (teach/teaches) us math.

Answers for Set 6:

1. washes (Ends in "sh", so we add "es".)

2. flies (Ends in "y", so we change "y" to "i" and add "es".)

3. buzzes (Ends in "z", so we add "es".)

4. watches (Ends in "ch", so we add "es".)

5. cries (Ends in "y", so we change "y" to "i" and add "es".)

6. fixes (Ends in "x", so we add "es".)

7. does (The verb "do" takes "es" for singular subjects.)

8. catches (Ends in "ch", so we add "es".)

9. carries (Ends in "y", so we change "y" to "i" and add "es".)

10. teaches (Ends in "ch", so we add "es".)

Set 7: Daily Habits and Routines

1. I _____ (wake/wakes) up at 6 AM.

2. We _____ (brush/brushes) our hair.

3. You _____ (eat/eats) cereal for breakfast.

4. They _____ (go/goes) to school by bus.

5. He _____ (take/takes) a bath.

6. She _____ (pack/packs) her lunch.

7. The bell _____ (ring/rings) at 3 PM.

8. We _____ (do/does) our homework after school.

9. I _____ (feed/feeds) the dog at night.

10. She _____ (read/reads) before bed.

Answers for Set 7:

1. wake (Routine with "I" uses no "s".)

2. brush (Routine with "We" uses no "s".)

3. eat (Routine with "You" uses no "s".)

4. go (Routine with "They" uses no "s".)

5. takes (Routine with "He" needs an "s".)

6. packs (Routine with "She" needs an "s".)

7. rings (Routine with one "bell" needs an "s".)

8. do (Routine with "We" uses no "s".)

9. feed (Routine with "I" uses no "s".)

10. reads (Routine with "She" needs an "s".)

Set 8: Facts and Universal Truths

1. The sun _____ (rise/rises) in the east.

2. Ice _____ (melt/melts) when it is hot.

3. Cows _____ (give/gives) us milk.

4. Birds _____ (have/has) feathers.

5. Water _____ (freeze/freezes) in the cold.

6. A triangle _____ (have/has) three sides.

7. Earth _____ (spin/spins) around.

8. Cheetahs _____ (run/runs) very fast.

9. Plants _____ (need/needs) water to grow.

10. Fire _____ (burn/burns).

Answers for Set 8:

1. rises (The sun is one thing, so we add "s".)

2. melts (Ice is singular, so we add "s".)

3. give (Cows are plural, so no "s".)

4. have (Birds are plural, so we use "have".)

5. freezes (Water is singular, so we add "s".)

6. has (A triangle is one thing, so we use "has".)

7. spins (Earth is one thing, so we add "s".)

8. run (Cheetahs are plural, so no "s".)

9. need (Plants are plural, so no "s".)

10. burns (Fire is singular, so we add "s".)

Set 9: Hobbies and Likes

1. I _____ (like/likes) apples.

2. She _____ (love/loves) dancing.

3. He _____ (play/plays) the drums.

4. We _____ (enjoy/enjoys) puzzles.

5. They _____ (skate/skates) at the park.

6. You _____ (draw/draws) funny faces.

7. My brother _____ (collect/collects) stamps.

8. My sister _____ (bake/bakes) cakes.

9. I _____ (read/reads) comic books.

10. He _____ (swim/swims) in the pool.

Answers for Set 9:

1. like (Subject is "I", so no "s".)

2. loves (Subject is "She", so add "s".)

3. plays (Subject is "He", so add "s".)

4. enjoy (Subject is "We", so no "s".)

5. skate (Subject is "They", so no "s".)

6. draw (Subject is "You", so no "s".)

7. collects (Brother is one person, so add "s".)

8. bakes (Sister is one person, so add "s".)

9. read (Subject is "I", so no "s".)

10. swims (Subject is "He", so add "s".)

6. Extra Practice!

You are doing great! Let's test your brain with some more fun questions.

20 Mixed Fill-in-the-Blanks

1. The dog _____ (bark/barks) at the cat.

2. I _____ (drink/drinks) water every morning.

3. They _____ (do not/does not) like scary stories.

4. _____ (Do/Does) you want to play?

5. The stars _____ (shine/shines) at night.

6. She _____ (catch/catches) the butterfly.

7. We _____ (walk/walks) to the park.

8. He _____ (brush/brushes) his teeth.

9. _____ (Do/Does) he know the answer?

10. The baby _____ (cry/cries) loudly.

11. My friends _____ (play/plays) tag.

12. A spider _____ (has/have) eight legs.

13. I _____ (do not/does not) eat onions.

14. She _____ (fly/flies) a kite.

15. You _____ (run/runs) in the race.

16. The train _____ (stop/stops) here.

17. _____ (Do/Does) they like pizza?

18. He _____ (fix/fixes) the toy.

19. Ice cream _____ (melt/melts) fast.

20. We _____ (love/loves) our teacher.

(Answers: 1. barks, 2. drink, 3. do not, 4. Do, 5. shine, 6. catches, 7. walk, 8. brushes, 9. Does, 10. cries, 11. play, 12. has, 13. do not, 14. flies, 15. run, 16. stops, 17. Do, 18. fixes, 19. melts, 20. love)

10 Multiple-Choice Questions

1. He ___ soccer on Sundays.

   a) play

   b) plays

2. ___ you like ice cream?

   a) Do

   b) Does

3. Cats ___ milk.

   a) drink

   b) drinks

4. She ___ not want to sleep.

   a) do

   b) does

5. The Earth ___ round.

   a) is

   b) are

6. I ___ my hands.

   a) wash

   b) washes

7. ___ the bird sing?

   a) Do

   b) Does

8. They ___ a treehouse.

   a) build

   b) builds

9. The clock ___ tick-tock.

   a) go

   b) goes

10. We ___ happy.

    a) are

    b) is

(Answers: 1.b, 2.a, 3.a, 4.b, 5.a, 6.a, 7.b, 8.a, 9.b, 10.a)

10 True/False Questions

1. We say "I plays". (True / False)

2. We say "She runs". (True / False)

3. "Do you like apples?" is correct. (True / False)

4. We add "es" to words ending in "ch" or "sh". (True / False)

5. We use "does not" with "I". (True / False)

6. Plural subjects (like They) need an "s" on the verb. (True / False)

7. Simple Present is used for facts, like "Ice is cold." (True / False)

8. "He crys" is the correct spelling. (True / False)

9. "We walk" is correct. (True / False)

10. "Does he play?" is correct. (True / False)

(Answers: 1. False, 2. True, 3. True, 4. True, 5. False, 6. False, 7. True, 8. False (it's cries), 9. True, 10. True)

7. Revision Notes

Great job reaching the end! Let's remember the magic rules:

Short Summary

• The Simple Present Tense tells us about everyday habits, facts, and things we like.

• No "S" Rule: I, You, We, They ➔ Just use the normal verb! (I jump)

• The "S" Rule: He, She, It ➔ Add an -s, -es, or -ies to the verb! (He jumps)

• For negatives, use do not (for I, You, We, They) and does not (for He, She, It).

• For questions, start with Do or Does.

Important Points to Remember

• Always check who is doing the action (the subject) to know if you need an "s" on your verb.

• If a word ends in y (like cry), drop the y and add -ies (cries) for he/she/it.

• If a word ends in sh, ch, x, or s (like watch), add -es (watches).

Common Mistakes Children Make

❌ Saying: He play in the park.

✅ Correct: He plays in the park. (Don't forget the "s" for one person!)

❌ Saying: I does not like beans.

✅ Correct: I do not like beans. (Only use "does" with he, she, or it!)

❌ Saying: Do she have a pen?

✅ Correct: Does she have a pen? (Use "Does" when asking about one person!)

Keep practicing, and you will be a grammar superhero in no time! 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️