Present simple worksheets for ESL
47 worksheets and 2 lessons · Tenses
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Present simple worksheets
47 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Present simple lessons
2 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
About Present simple
The present simple describes habits and routines, permanent states and general facts: I get up at seven. Water boils at 100°C. It uses the base verb, adding -s or -es in the third person singular (she works, he watches), and do or does for questions and negatives: Does he like soccer? He doesn't drink tea.
It is a core A1 point and a staple of young learner courses, usually taught with daily routines and adverbs of frequency. The classic error is the missing third-person -s (*She play tennis), followed by double marking (*Does she plays?), *He don't, and spelling slips with forms such as studies, goes and watches.
The worksheets on this page are printable and come with answer keys; print them as PDFs or share a class link so students can solve them online.
Teaching tips: Present simple
- Teach the -s, -es and -ies spelling rules together with the three pronunciations /s/, /z/ and /ɪz/ (works, plays, watches).
- Use a daily-routine picture strip so learners describe a character's day in the third person.
- Put adverbs of frequency on a scale from always to never and practice their position: before the main verb but after be (She often walks; She is often late).
- Watch for *Does she plays?: show that the -s moves to does, so the main verb stays in its base form.
- Personalize with a class survey (Do you…?) and have learners report the results: Five students walk to school.
Questions teachers ask
What's the difference between present simple and present continuous?
The present simple is for habits, facts and permanent states (I work in a bank); the present continuous is for actions in progress now or temporary situations (I'm working from home this week).
Why do students keep forgetting the third-person -s?
It adds no extra meaning and is hard to hear, so it is one of the last features learners acquire. Short, frequent focus on he/she/it sentences and a consistent correction gesture work better than one long lesson.
When should I teach the present simple?
Most A1 courses introduce it straight after to be, through routines and likes, with do/does questions and negatives in the same unit or the next.