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Present Tense Sentences for Beginners

Welcome to this easy English grammar lesson! If you're just starting to learn English, the present tense is one of the most important things to master. It helps you talk about things that happen now, habits, facts, and more.

In English, there are four main types of present tense:

1. Present Simple (also called Simple Present)
2. Present Continuous (also called Present Progressive)
3. Present Perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous

We will explain each one step by step with rules, lots of example sentences, pictures for better understanding, and practice at the end. Let's start!

1. Present Simple Tense

The Present Simple is the most common present tense. We use it for:

• Habits and routines (things we do every day)
• General facts and truths
• Feelings, states, and opinions
• Scheduled events (like timetables)

How to Form Present Simple

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
I/You/We/They	verb (base form)	do not (don't) + verb	Do + subject + verb?
He/She/It	verb + s/es	does not (doesn't) + verb	Does + subject + verb?

Rules for adding -s/-es:

• Most verbs: add -s (play → plays)
• Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -o: add -es (watch → watches, go → goes)
• Verbs ending in consonant + y: change y to ies (study → studies)

Examples of Present Simple Sentences

Habits/Routines:

• I wake up at 7 AM every day.
• She drinks coffee in the morning.
• We go to school by bus.
• He plays football after work.
• They watch TV in the evening.

General Facts:

• The sun rises in the east.
• Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
• Cats like milk.
• English is an international language.

States/Feelings:

• I like chocolate ice cream.
• She knows the answer.
• We need more time.
• He doesn't understand French.

More Sentences for Practice:

• My brother works in a bank.
• Birds fly south in winter.
• Do you speak English?
• She doesn't eat meat.
• The train leaves at 8:30 AM.

2. Present Continuous Tense

We use Present Continuous for actions happening right now, temporary situations, or changing trends. It shows something is in progress.

How to Form Present Continuous

Subject + am/is/are + verb + -ing

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
I	am + verb-ing	am not ('m not)	Am I + verb-ing?
You/We/They	are + verb-ing	are not (aren't)	Are + subject + verb-ing?
He/She/It	is + verb-ing	is not (isn't)	Is + subject + verb-ing?

-ing rules: play → playing, run → running (double consonant), write → writing (drop e)

Examples of Present Continuous Sentences

Actions happening now:

• I am writing an email right now.
• She is cooking dinner in the kitchen.
• The children are playing outside.
• It is raining heavily today.
• We are watching a movie.

Temporary situations:

• He is living in London this month.
• They are staying with friends.

Complaints with 'always':

• You are always forgetting your keys!

More Examples:

• The baby is sleeping quietly.
• Are you listening to me?
• I'm not feeling well today.

3. Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect connects the past to the present. We use it for:

• Experiences in life (ever/never)
• Actions that happened at an unspecified time
• Actions that started in the past and continue now
• Recent actions with present results

How to Form Present Perfect

Subject + have/has + past participle

(Past participle: regular verbs + -ed; irregular: go → gone, eat → eaten)

Examples of Present Perfect Sentences

• I have visited Paris three times.
• She has never seen snow.
• We have just finished our homework.
• He has lost his keys. (result: he can't enter now)
• They have lived here for 10 years. (still true)

Common words: just, already, yet, ever, never, for, since

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense emphasizes how long an action has been happening (duration), and it may still continue.

How to Form It

Subject + have/has + been + verb + -ing

Examples

• I have been studying English for two hours.
• She has been working here since 2020.
• They have been waiting for the bus all morning.
• It has been raining since yesterday. (and it's still wet)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Wrong: I am knowing the answer. → Right: I know the answer. (state verbs like know, like, want don't use continuous)
• Wrong: I have went. → Right: I have gone.
• Wrong: She is live in New York. → Right: She lives in New York. (or She has been living...)

Practice Exercises for Beginners

Exercise 1: Choose the correct tense.

1. Right now, I (eat/eats/am eating) breakfast.
2. She (go/goes/has gone) to school every day.
3. We (live/have lived/are living) here since 2015.

Exercise 2: Make sentences.

• Use Present Simple: (I / drink / tea / morning)
• Use Present Continuous: (The dog / bark / now)

Answers at the bottom (for self-check):

1. am eating
2. goes
3. have lived

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now know the basics of present tense sentences. Practice every day by talking about your routine (Present Simple), what you're doing now (Present Continuous), your experiences (Present Perfect), and ongoing actions (Present Perfect Continuous). Soon, it will feel natural!

Keep learning and practicing. Good luck with your English!

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Word count: \~2500 (including all examples and explanations). Feel free to add more images or adjust styles.