Present simple: routines and facts

Approximate A1–A2 · editorial content label, not a certified rating.

Use the present simple for habits, recurring events and many states. Add s or es for he, she and it in affirmative clauses. Use do or does for questions and negatives, followed by the base verb. Frequency expressions help establish the routine.

Try the three exercise formats

Examples to compare

  • Maya takes the bus every day.
  • Do they work here?
  • He does not drink coffee.

Watch the meaning and the limits

Does already carries the third-person marking: Does she work? She does not work. Avoid doubling it as does she works. Be follows its own am/is/are pattern. A routine can be temporary in real life; grammar describes how you present it.

Read each example aloud, then change one detail to make a sentence you could use. Continue with focused practice when you want a different set.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Mistake: Does she works here?

Use: Does she work here?

Does already carries the present-tense marking; the main verb stays in its base form.

Try the pattern

3 choose questions · 2 sentence completions · 2 word gaps. Read the reason after every answer. No timer.

Typed answers stay on this page. This guided set checks the requested construction; it does not judge general writing. Read the accepted answers and reasons.

Use it in your own sentence

Write one sentence about your own routine or situation. Check the subject, verb form and intended meaning against the rule above. A different sentence may need a different form: these exercises accept the reviewed answers for their stated context.

Try the next practice set, or choose another grammar point.

All drill answers and reasons

  1. Maya ___ the bus every weekday.

    Choices: takes / take / taking

    Accepted: takes

    Maya is singular; a routine takes present-simple takes.

  2. Does he ___ here?

    Choices: work / works / working

    Accepted: work

    After does, use the base form work.

  3. They ___ not drink coffee.

    Choices: do / does / are

    Accepted: do

    They takes do for a present-simple negative.

  4. Complete the present-simple negative of work: She ___ here.

    Accepted: does not work / doesn’t work

    She takes does not plus base-form work; doesn’t is the contraction.

  5. Complete the present-simple question: ___ here? (they; work)

    Accepted: Do they work

    Put do before they and use base-form work.

  6. Ravi ___ to work every day. Use the present simple of walk.

    Accepted: walks

    A singular third-person subject adds s to walk.

  7. Does Maya ___ here? Use the base form of live.

    Accepted: live

    After does, the main verb is the base form live.

Practice questions

How do the three exercise formats work?

Choose asks you to pick an answer. Complete the sentence asks you to type the missing phrase. Fill in the word asks for one word, or no article where stated. Every checked answer includes a reason.

Which typed answers are accepted?

Use the form and meaning requested in the prompt. Reviewed alternatives and contractions are accepted where they fit. Capital letters, surrounding spaces, straight or curly apostrophes and a final full stop, question mark or exclamation mark do not affect marking. The answer reference lists the accepted forms.

Are my typed answers sent or saved?

Typed answers stay on this page in your browser. They are not sent to the server or saved. If device progress is available, completing a set records only the activity and study points on this device.

Can this check my own writing or certify my level?

No. This is a small guided set with reviewed answers, not a general grammar checker or a level certificate. An unlisted answer does not mean it is always wrong in English. Read the prompt and the explanation for this construction.

Further reference: Cambridge English Grammar Today. The explanations, examples and exercises here are original; each lesson covers a useful pattern rather than every exception.