Your task
Fill in the gap in each sentence with the correct word or phrase.
0 / 15 answered
Your score
0 / 150%
Keep practising! Focus on the explanations below.
Quick rule
The present simple is the most commonly used tense in English. We use it to talk about things that are always true, permanent situations, or regular habits. It is the first major tense English learners need to master — you will use it in almost every conversation.
always / usually / oftensometimes / rarely / neverevery day / week / monthon Mondays / on weekends
See full explanation ↓About this exercise
This A2 set focuses on present simple — 15 questions, each with an explanation of why the answer is right. English has twelve main tense forms: four presents (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous), four pasts, and four futures. Each encodes a different perspective on time and aspect — whether an event is complete or ongoing, relevant to the present or purely historical, habitual or happening right now.
The rule in 30 seconds
The present simple is the most commonly used tense in English. We use it to talk about things that are always true, permanent situations, or regular habits. It is the first major tense English learners need to master — you will use it in almost every conversation.
Subject + Verb (base / -s / -es)always / usually / oftenhigh to mid-frequency habits
sometimes / rarely / neverlow-frequency habits and routines
every day / week / monthregular repeating intervals
on Mondays / on weekendsscheduled or fixed weekly routine
once / twice a weekexact frequency of a habit
in the morning / at nighttime of day routines
Learn from the errors
Common mistakes this set targets
- Dropping the third-person -s. She work in a hospital. → She works in a hospital.he, she, and it always take -s (or -es) in the present simple.
- Using don't with he/she/it. He don't like tea. → He doesn't like tea.Third-person singular uses doesn't, and the main verb loses its -s.
- Adding -s after does. Does she works here? → Does she work here?After do/does the main verb returns to its base form.
Frequently asked questions
When do you use the present simple in English?
Use the present simple for facts, habits, routines, and scheduled events — for example "Water boils at 100°C" or "I take the bus every morning." It is not used for actions happening right now; that is the present continuous.
Why do we add -s to verbs with he, she, and it?
English marks the third-person singular with an -s (or -es) ending: I work → she works. It is the one place the present simple verb changes form.
What is the difference between don't and doesn't?
Use doesn't with he, she, and it; use don't with I, you, we, and they. After both, the main verb returns to its base form: "She doesn't work," not "doesn't works."