Simple present tense test 01
A beginner test on the simple present tense: choose the right verb form in 10 sentences, then check your answers and explanations.
In this lesson
This simple present tense test checks that you can choose the right verb form in everyday sentences. You will practise adding -s or -es after he, she and it, using do and does in questions and making negatives with doesn’t. It is for beginners (A1) who have just studied the present simple and want to check their understanding.
How to take this test
- Read the sentence and find the gap (___).
- Look at the subject. Is it I, you, we or they? Or is it he, she or it?
- Choose the verb form that fits. Only one answer is correct.
- At the end, check your score and read why each answer is right.
What this test covers
- Facts and routines: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Eliza goes to football practice every Saturday.
- The -s ending: he, she and it take -s or -es: it smells, she wants, it takes.
- Questions with do and does: Do we know each other? Does Mary’s mother cook delicious food?
- Negatives: He doesn’t play football every Sunday.
If you need to revise first, read our full lesson on the simple present tense. Short forms such as don’t and doesn’t are explained in the lesson on contracted forms. When you are ready, move on to simple present tense test 02. You can also read the British Council LearnEnglish guide to the present simple.
Tip
The -s appears only once. In questions and negatives, it moves to does, so the main verb stays in its base form. She works. Does she work? She doesn’t work.
Frequently asked questions
When do we use the simple present tense?
We use it for habits, routines and facts that are always true. For example: I study every evening. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
Why is it “Does she cook”, not “Does she cooks”?
Does already shows that the subject is he, she or it. So the main verb after does or doesn’t stays in its base form, with no -s.
What should I do if I get a low score?
Read the simple present tense lesson again and look closely at the examples. Then take the test again and read every explanation at the end.
Practise this lesson
10 questions
