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Elementary Middle High

Lesson Explainer: The

Present Simple and the
Past Simple
English

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In this explainer, we will learn how to use

the present simple and the past simple.

The present simple is used to talk about

many things. We use it most often to talk
about things that we do every day, for
example, “I eat breakfast at 7 am every day.”

We also use it to talk about routines, for

example, “I play tennis on Saturdays.”

We use it to talk about facts, for example,

“The sky is blue.”

Finally, we use it to talk about things that are

always true, such as opinions, for example,
“We like scary films.”

The past simple is used to talk about

actions that have been completed in the past.
We use it for single actions (things that
happened once), for example, “We watched
a film last night.”

We use it for two or more actions that

happened at a similar time in the past, for
example, “I went to the party and I ate some
pizza.”

Finally, we use it to talk about a routine in

the past that doesn’t happen anymore, for
example, “I swam in the ocean every day
when I was on holiday.”

Now that we know why we use the present

simple and the past simple, let’s learn how to
form them. When we say “form a tense,” we
are talking about how we write it. This
includes the verb itself and the order of the
words. The most important part of forming a
tense is the verb.

Form: Forming the Present

Simple and the Past Simple
Here is how we form verbs when
writing in the present simple and past
simple tenses:

When we use the present simple

tense, we use the verb in its base form
for first, second, and third person plural
pronouns ( I , we , you , they ) and in -s
form with the third person singular
pronouns ( he , she , it ), for example, “I
walk ; she walks . ”

When we use the negative form of the

present simple tense, we need to use the
auxiliary verb do . With the first, second,
and third person plural pronouns ( I ,
we , you , they ), we use don’t + base
form of the verb. With the third person
singular pronouns, we use doesn’t +
base form of the verb, for example, “I
don’t walk ; she doesn’t walk . ”

When we use the past simple tense,

we use the verb in its base form + -ed.
However, many verbs are irregular in
English, such as eat(s) (present simple)
→ ate (past simple). These verbs must
be learnt separately as there isn’t a
single rule for forming irregular verbs,
for example, “I walked (regular past
tense verb); I drank tea (irregular past
tense verb).”

When we use the negative form of the

past simple tense, we need to use the
auxiliary verb do . With first, second,
and third person pronouns ( I , we , you ,
they , he , she , it ), we use didn’t + base
form of the verb, for example, “I
didn’t walk . ”

Example 1: Identifying the

Tense of a Sentence
Which tense is being used in this
example?

My neighbour works for a local charity.

A. Present simple
B. Past simple
C. Present continuous
D. Past continuous
E. Future simple

Answer
This question is asking you to identify
the tense of a sentence. Knowing which
tense is being used will help you
understand the meaning of the
sentence.

The first thing you must do to identify

the tense is find the verb. The verb here
is works . We know that when a verb has
-s on the end, it is in the present form. If
we replace the subject (“my
neighbour”) of the sentence with a
pronoun, it would be he or she , a third
person pronoun. And we also know
that when a verb has -s on the end, it is
in the present form when used with
third person pronouns. We now know
the answer is A.

Example 2: Asking a Question

with Past Simple Tense
Fill in the blank using the past simple
tense:

a talk about endangered

species?

A. Was she giving

B. Is she giving
C. Did she give
D. Did she gave
E. She gave

Answer
This question is asking you to fill in the
blank. You are told to use the past
simple tense. The example has a
question mark, so we know it will use a
question form. There is no wh-word in
the example or in the choices; this
means it must be a closed question (also
known as a yes/no question). Let’s look
at how to form a closed question using
the past simple tense.

Past Simple

Auxili

Interrogative (?) (Closed Question)

Using the form box above, we can see

that the structure used for forming a
question in the past simple tense is the
auxiliary verb did + subject +
base form .

In this question, only options C and D

use the question form we looked at
above: did + subject + base form . D
uses gave , which is the past simple form
of give , but when we look at the form
box, the base form of the verb must be
used here. We now know that the
answer is C.

Example 3: Choosing Which

Verb Form to Use in a
Sentence
Fill in the blanks to create two clauses:

I about first aid before I

the course.

A. readed, took
B. reads, take
C. read, takes
D. read, took
E. read, taked

Answer
This question is asking you to fill in the
blank. It has two blanks, so you will
need to choose two verbs. The question
doesn’t tell you which tense to use, so
you will have to decide if you need to
use the present simple or the past
simple.

We know this sentence is in the past

because of the word before . Before is
often used as a conjunction with the
past simple tense. As the past simple
tense is being used in the second clause,
it is likely that the first clause is also
using the past simple tense. The two
verbs being used here are to read and to
take, so we need to put them in the past
tense.

As mentioned above, there are certain

words that are irregular in English and
do not follow the normal grammar rule
of adding -ed. The two verbs in this
question are irregular verbs.

Read does not change in the past tense;

only the pronunciation changes. Take
becomes took in the past tense. We now
know that D is the answer.

Example 4: Choosing Which

Verb Form to Use in a
Sentence
Fill in the blanks using the present
simple tense:

How often Dina blood

at her local hospital?

A. does, donate
B. does, donates
C. did, donate
D. was, donating
E. do, donate

Answer
This question is asking you to fill in the
blank. It is about the present simple
tense. The example has a question
mark, so we know it will use a question
form. It also has a wh-word (“how
often”); this means it is an open
question. Let’s look at how to form an
open question using the present simple
tense.

Present Simpl

Wh-
word

W
Interrogative (?) (Open Questions)
W

Using the form box above, we can see

that the structure used for forming an
open question in the present simple
tense is wh-word + do/does + subject
+ base form .

We know that in a present simple open

question, the auxiliary verbs do and
does must follow a wh-word . This
means option D is wrong as it uses the
verb to be ( was ) and option C is wrong
because it uses the auxiliary did . This is
the past tense form of do, so it is also
incorrect. So the answer could be A, B,
or E.

To find out the answer, we need to

know what the subject is. Here, the
subject is "#$% . "#$% is a girl’s name,
so we need the verb form that is used
with “ she . ” The table shows us that the
auxiliary verb is does and the verb
should be in the base form of the verb
(not the -s form). This means the
answer is A.

We already know that the present simple

tense is used to talk about many things,
including things we do every day, routines,
facts, and things that are always true. Let’s
look at some more examples of how and why
this tense is used.

Use: Uses of the Present

Simple
Things We Do Every Day and
Routines

For example, “I brush my teeth every

day.”

For example, “We play badminton on

Thursdays.”

Routines are when an action happens

very often or every day. It happens in
the past, happens in the present, and
will continue to happen in the future.

Facts or Things That Are True

For example, “The sea is blue.”

For example, “She loves chocolate.”

This is used for statements that are true.

They are not single or finished actions.
They are true in the past, in the present,
and in the future.

We know the past simple is used to talk

about completed actions in the past, but let’s
look at some more examples of how and why
this tense is used.

Use: Uses of the Past Simple

Completed Actions

For example, “He won a race last

weekend.”

For example, “Nada completed her

homework yesterday.”

A completed action is when an action is

finished in the past.

Successive Actions

For example, “I walked the dog after it

stopped raining.”

For example, “Before I went home, I

picked up some shopping from the
supermarket.”

When more than one action happens in

an order, we call this a sequence.
These actions can also be called
successive actions.

Repeated Actions

For example, “They ate pasta three

times last week.”

For example, “She asked questions in

the class two times this week.”

Repeated actions are when one specific

action is done many times in the past.
This is not always done after another
action.

Example 5: Understanding the

Meaning of a Tense
Which of the following best describes
this example?

Lions hunt wild animals such as

antelopes and livestock such as cattle.

A. An action or situation that is

usually or always true
B. A repeated action that happens
regularly in the present
C. An action completed in the past
D. A regular action in the past that
doesn’t happen anymore
E. A sequence of actions completed in
the past

Answer
In this question, you have to choose a
sentence that has the same meaning as
the example.

In this example, the verb is hunt . As

this is a present tense verb, we know
that C, D, and E are not the answer
because they refer to actions happening
in the past. Also, the sentence is stating
a fact about lions. Since terms such as
regularly and every day are not being
used in this sentence, we know that the
sentence isn’t describing a repeated
action. We now know the answer is A.

Example 6: Understanding the

Meaning of a Tense
Which of the following best describes
the underlined section?

I saw giraffes every day when I lived in

Tanzania.

A. An action or situation that is

usually or always true
B. A repeated action that happens
regularly in the present
C. An action completed in the past
D. A regular action in the past that
doesn’t happen anymore
E. A sequence of actions completed in
the past

Answer
Here is another question that will help
you understand the meaning of the past
simple tense. This sentence is in the
past simple and asks you to look at the
underlined part. There are two verbs in
this sentence, but you only need to look
at the one that is underlined.

The question is asking about the

underlined clause “I saw giraffes every
day.” The verb here is saw . This is the
irregular past tense form of the verb
see ; this means that the action is
finished. The term every day means
that this action happened more than
once over a long period of time. We
now know the answer is D.

Example 7: Understanding the

Meaning of a Tense
Which of the following best describes
this example?

I drank a cup of tea after I gave blood.

A. An action or a situation that is

usually or always true
B. A repeated action that happens
regularly in the present
C. An action completed in the past
D. A regular action in the past that
doesn’t happen anymore
E. A sequence of actions completed in
the past

Answer
There are two verbs in this sentence,
meaning that two things are or were
happening. The word after shows us
that one action happened after another.
We need to check if the verbs are in the
present or past tense. Both drank and
gave are irregular past tense forms of
the verbs drink and give .

We know that the answer isn’t D,

because the verbs are written in the past
simple, which shows a completed
action. We now know that the answer
is E.

Verb Tables

Here are all the ways to form the present

simple and the present perfect. You can use
this table to help you answer all of the
questions in this lesson!

The following table shows us how to form

the affirmative and negative forms of the 
present simple and past simple tenses.