Present Tense for Class 6: Examples, Exercises and Worksheets

The Simple Present Tense is used for habitual actions, general truths, facts, scheduled events, and sometimes to narrate stories in a vivid way.

A. How to Form Simple Present Tense (s/es/ies rules, 'am/is/are')

• With I, You, We, They, and plural nouns: Use the base form of the verb (V1).
  • Example: I study. You play. The birds sing.
• With He, She, It, and singular nouns: Add -s, -es, or -ies to the base form of the verb.
  • Add -s to most verbs: He runs. She eats. It works.
  • Add -es to verbs ending in -o, -ch, -sh, -ss, -x, -z: go → goes, watch → watches, fix → fixes.
  • For verbs ending in a consonant + y, change 'y' to 'i' and add -es: study → studies, try → tries.
  • For verbs ending in a vowel + y, just add -s: play → plays, enjoy → enjoys.
• Verb 'to be': Present tense forms are am (with I), is (with he, she, it, singular nouns), and are (with you, we, they, plural nouns).
  • Example: I am ready. She is a doctor. They are intelligent.

B. When to Use Simple Present Tense (Habits, Facts, Schedules)

• Habitual actions or routines: Often with adverbs of frequency (always, often, usually, sometimes, never, every day/week/month).
  • Example: He exercises every morning. We visit our grandparents on weekends.
• General truths, scientific facts, or universal statements:
  • Example: The Earth revolves around the Sun. Honesty is the best policy.
• Scheduled future events (timetables, programs):
  • Example: The train arrives at 7:30 PM. The conference begins next Monday.
• In proverbs and sayings:
  • Example: A stitch in time saves nine.
• For newspaper headlines or sports commentaries (to create immediacy):
  • Example: India wins the match! Sharma hits a boundary!

C. Negatives and Questions with 'Do/Does'

• Negative: Subject + do not (don't) / does not (doesn't) + base form of verb (V1).
  • Example: They do not (don't) live here. She does not (doesn't) like coffee.
• Interrogative: Do/Does + subject + base form of verb (V1) + ?
  • Example: Do you understand the lesson? Does he play the guitar?
• For 'am/is/are': Negatives: add 'not'. Questions: invert subject and verb.

The Present Continuous Tense (or Present Progressive Tense) describes an action that is happening at the moment of speaking, or an action that is ongoing around the present time but not necessarily at the exact moment of speaking. It can also refer to temporary situations or definite future plans.

A. How to Form Present Continuous Tense (am/is/are + Verb-ing)

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing (present participle)

• Example: I am currently working on a new project.
• Example: Look! The children are playing in the park.

Spelling rules for adding -ing: (Review: drop -e, double final consonant for short vowel + consonant).

B. When to Use Present Continuous Tense (Actions Now, Temporary Situations)

• Actions happening at the exact moment of speaking: Often with words like now, right now, at the moment, look!, listen!.
  • Example: She is talking on the phone right now.
• Temporary actions or situations happening around the present time (not necessarily at the moment of speaking):
  • Example: He is learning Spanish these days. They are staying at a hotel this week.
• Changing or developing situations:
  • Example: The climate is getting warmer. Your English is improving.
• Definite future plans or arrangements (often with a future time expression):
  • Example: We are meeting our cousins tomorrow evening. She is flying to London next week.
• Repeated actions that are irritating or annoying (with 'always', 'constantly', 'continually'):
  • Example: He is always complaining about something.

Note: Stative verbs (verbs describing states like know, believe, love, understand, seem, own) are generally not used in the continuous form. We use Simple Present instead. E.g., "I am knowing the answer" is incorrect. Correct: "I know the answer."

C. Negatives and Questions

• Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + verb-ing.
  • Example: The team is not (isn't) performing well today.
• Question: Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing + ?
  • Example: Are you listening to the instructions?

The Present Perfect Tense connects the past with the present. It is used to talk about actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past but have relevance to the present, or actions that started in the past and continue up to the present moment.

A. How to Form Present Perfect Tense (have/has + Past Participle V3)

Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle (V3) of the verb

• Use have with I, You, We, They, and plural nouns.
• Use has with He, She, It, and singular nouns.

The past participle (V3) for regular verbs ends in -ed. Irregular verbs have special V3 forms (e.g., go → gone, eat → eaten, see → seen).

Example: She has completed her assignment. We have visited that museum several times.

B. When to Use Present Perfect Tense (Past Actions with Present Relevance, Experiences)

• Actions completed in the recent past with results in the present (often with 'just'):
  • Example: I have just finished my dinner. (Result: I am not hungry now).
• Actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past (the exact time is not important):
  • Example: He has travelled to many countries. (We don't know when, but the experience is relevant now).
• Life experiences (often with 'ever', 'never', 'before'):
  • Example: Have you ever seen a blue whale? I have never tasted sushi.
• Actions that started in the past and are still continuing in the present (often with 'for' or 'since'):
  • Example: They have lived in this city for ten years. (They still live here). She has known him since childhood. (She still knows him).
  (Note: For actions, Present Perfect Continuous is often preferred to emphasize duration, but Present Perfect can be used, especially with stative verbs).
• Actions completed in the past but whose effects are still present:
  • Example: He has broken his leg. (His leg is still broken).

Common time expressions: just, already, yet (in negatives/questions), ever, never, recently, lately, so far, for, since.

C. Negatives and Questions

• Negative: Subject + have/has + not + past participle (V3).
  • Example: We have not (haven't) received any updates yet.
• Question: Have/Has + subject + past participle (V3) + ?
  • Example: Has she submitted her report?

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to talk about an action that started in the past, has been continuing up to the present moment, and may still be in progress or has just recently stopped. It emphasizes the duration or continuity of the action.

A. How to Form Present Perfect Continuous Tense (have/has been + Verb-ing)

Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb-ing (present participle)

Example: They have been discussing the issue for over an hour. She has been working on this model since morning.

B. When to Use Present Perfect Continuous Tense (Duration from Past to Present)

• To emphasize the duration of an action that started in the past and is still continuing: Often used with 'for' or 'since'.
  • Example: I have been waiting for you for two hours!
• For an action that started in the past and has just recently stopped, with the results still visible or relevant in the present:
  • Example: Her eyes are red because she has been crying. The ground is wet because it has been raining.

Note: Stative verbs are generally not used in this tense. Use Present Perfect Simple instead (e.g., "I have known him for years," not "I have been knowing...").

C. Negatives and Questions

• Negative: Subject + have/has + not + been + verb-ing.
  • Example: He has not (hasn't) been practicing regularly.
• Question: Have/Has + subject + been + verb-ing + ?
  • Example: Have you been waiting long?