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Present simple: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Levels A1 to B2 15 lesson plans · 4 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

The present simple is the tense for routines, habits and facts, and the first tense most English learners meet: I work, she works, Do you work? This page brings together 15 ready-made present simple lessons from the edio.ai library, levels A1 to B2, all in American English. Try exercises from the lessons, see the rules in their own grammar schemes, and pick a lesson for your class from the list by level. Every lesson is interactive, and its practice exercises check themselves.

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Present simple lesson plans and drills

15 lesson plans and 4 drill lessons, A1 to B2. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 45 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the present simple exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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Present simple explained

We use the present simple for what happens regularly or is always true: They deliver the mail on Saturday, She wears an aloha shirt on Fridays. The verb stays in its base form, except after he, she and it, where it adds -s. Negatives and questions use do and does, and then the main verb has no -s.

I, you, we and they: the base form

With I, you, we and they, the verb has no ending at all: We work on Monday, They start at seven. The table shows every person, with the -s of she for comparison.

WhoYes ✓No ✗ (don't = do not)
II work on Monday.I don't work on Sunday.
youYou work on Monday.You don't work on Sunday.
he, she, it → A1.2She works on Monday.She doesn't work on Sunday.
weWe work on Monday.We don't work on Sunday.
theyThey work on Monday.They don't work on Sunday.

From the lesson Who brings the mail? (English A1.1)

He, she and it: add -s, -es or -ies

After he, she and it, most verbs add -s. Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x or -o add -es, a consonant + y becomes -ies, and have becomes has.

The verb ends in …he, she, itExamples
most verbs+ swear → wears, work → works, like → likes
a, e, o, u + y+ sbuy → buys, play → plays
-ch, -sh, -s, -x, -o+ eswatch → watches, wash → washes, fix → fixes, go → goes, do → does
another letter + y (r + y, d + y …)y → iescarry → carries, try → tries, study → studies
havespecial!have → has

From the lesson What does she wear on Aloha Friday? (English A1.2)

Negatives: don't and doesn't + verb

Doesn't takes the -s, so the verb after it has none: She doesn't carry a basket, not She doesn't carries. With I, you, we and they, the negative is don't.

WhoYes ✓No ✗
II use a basket.I don't use a basket.
youYou use a basket.You don't use a basket.
heHe pushes the cart.He doesn't push the cart.
sheShe carries a basket.She doesn't carry a basket.
itIt has wheels.It doesn't have a motor.
weWe shop on Saturday.We don't shop on Saturday.
theyThey want carts.They don't want carts.

From the lesson A basket on wheels? (English A1.2)

Questions and short answers with do and does

Questions put do or does before the subject, and the short answer repeats it: Does it rain in July? Yes, it does. Learners often answer Yes, it rains instead.

WhoQuestion ?Yes ✓No ✗
IDo I need an umbrella?Yes, you do.No, you don't.
youDo you like storms?Yes, I do.No, I don't.
heDoes he live in Tucson?Yes, he does.No, he doesn't.
sheDoes she like thunder?Yes, she does.No, she doesn't.
itDoes it rain in July?Yes, it does.No, it doesn't.
weDo we have class today?Yes, we do.No, we don't.
theyDo they like snow?Yes, they do.No, they don't.

From the lesson Does it rain in the desert? (English A1.2)

Adverbs of frequency: before the main verb

Always, usually, often, sometimes and never go before the main verb but after be: It usually snows in October, but It's always cold in January.

adverb + main verb

  • It usually snows in October.
  • They always work for about a week.
  • He often climbs the tower.

be (am, is, are) + adverb

  • It's often foggy.
  • It's never hot.
  • I'm usually at home on Sunday.

From the lesson Is it always windy on Mount Washington? (English A1.2)

Questions about the present simple

When do we use the present simple?
For habits, routines, facts and things that are always true. I get up at seven, She works in an office, The mail comes on Saturdays. It is also the tense of likes and dislikes (I don't like bacon) and of timetables (The bus leaves at 8:15). For what is happening at this moment, English uses the present continuous instead.
How do you form the present simple?
The base form, plus -s after he, she and it. I work, you work, she works, they work. Negatives use don't or doesn't with the base form (He doesn't work), and questions start with do or does (Does he work?). Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x or -o add -es, and have becomes has.
How do I teach the present simple to beginners?
Start with I and you, then add the others. In English A1.1 on edio.ai, learners meet the present simple with I and you through likes and food, then we and they through routines and days. English A1.2 adds the -s of he, she and it, then doesn't and questions with does, each in a lesson of its own with a scheme, drills and a speaking task.
What are good present simple games and activities?
Games that make students ask about real routines. Spin-the-wheel prompts such as What time do you get up?, find-someone-who surveys and guessing games about a classmate's day all need questions and answers with do and does. The lessons on this page close with a speaking chapter: a chat to complete and a game such as Spin the wheel or Open the box.
Are there interactive present simple exercises?
Yes: the exercises above come from these lessons. Each lesson has drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes on its grammar. Students do them in their own edio.ai accounts, and every answer is checked as they go. A free trial opens every lesson in the library.
Where do adverbs of frequency go in a sentence?
Before the main verb, but after be. She often walks to work, but She is often late. Always and never don't start a sentence, while sometimes and usually can: Sometimes it snows in May. Never already means not, so it takes no don't: He never drinks coffee.
What's the difference between the present simple and the present continuous?
Routines and facts versus this moment. She makes sounds for movies is her job; Right now she's walking on sand is what she is doing now. Signal words help learners choose: every day and usually go with the present simple, now and at the moment with the present continuous.
Do these present simple lessons work one-to-one?
Yes, live or as homework. In a live lesson, the student works in their own account in sync with the teacher, and the speaking games need only two people. The drills check themselves, so a lesson can also be set as homework and reviewed later.

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