Present Simple (am/is/are, Do/Does) – Grammar Exercises for A1
Grammar » Grammar Exercises for A1 » Simple Present Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You are participating in a social meetup club. Everyone is chatting, introducing themselves, and sharing their hobbies and passions during their free time.
Read the conversation carefully and choose the best answer (A, B, or C) to fill in the blanks.
1 Hello everyone! I _____ very happy to meet you all today.
(A) is
(B) be
(C) am
2 I _____ pop music, especially songs by Taylor Swift.
(A) loves
(B) love
(C) loving
3 To be honest, I _____ like classical music. It makes me sleepy.
(A) doesn’t
(B) am not
(C) don’t
4 What about you? _____ you play any sports?
(A) Do
(B) Are
(C) Does
5 My friends and I _____ movies at the cinema every Friday night.
(A) watching
(B) watches
(C) watch
6 This is Maria. She _____ tennis every weekend.
(A) play
(B) plays
(C) is play
7 She is very active, but she _____ like basketball.
(A) isn’t
(B) don’t
(C) doesn’t
8 _____ Tom like reading books in his free time?
(A) Do
(B) Does
(C) Is
9 Yes, he _____. He reads a lot of comic books!
(A) is
(B) do
(C) does
10 _____ your hobbies expensive?
(A) Are
(B) Is
(C) Do
11 We _____ waking up early on Sundays. We just want to sleep!
(A) hates
(B) hate
(C) are hate
12 What kind of food _____ you like to cook?
(A) does
(B) do
(C) are
13 My brother is lazy. He only _____ TV in the evening.
(A) watch
(B) watchs
(C) watches
14 I _____ not a good dancer, but I love dancing at parties!
(A) do
(B) is
(C) am
15 Everybody in this club _____ so friendly and nice.
(A) are
(B) is
(C) be
16 I _____ play video games. I think they are boring.
(A) never
(B) not never
(C) don’t never
17 Does she _____ to come to the karaoke party with us?
(A) wanting
(B) want
(C) wants
18 What _____ your parents do in their free time?
(A) does
(B) are
(C) do
19 Are you interested in photography? – Yes, I _____.
(A) do
(B) am
(C) are
20 My sister and I _____ the same hobbies. We are very different.
(A) aren’t have
(B) doesn’t have
(C) don’t have
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 C
Explanation: The subject is “I”, so the correct “to be” verb is “am”. Option A is for he/she/it, and Option B is the base form, which is not used directly after a subject in Present Simple.
2 B
Explanation: For the subject “I”, we use the base form of the verb “love”. Option A is a common mistake (adding “-s” is only for he/she/it). Option C is incorrect because state verbs like “love” are rarely used in the “-ing” form to express general preferences.
3 C
Explanation: To form a negative sentence with action/state verbs (like) for “I”, we use “don’t”. Option A is for he/she/it. Option B is a structural error because we do not use “to be” (am not) with a normal verb like “like”.
4 A
Explanation: To ask a Yes/No question with the subject “you” and an action verb (play), we use the auxiliary “Do”. Option C is for he/she/it. Option B is wrong because “play” is an action verb, not an adjective or noun.
5 C
Explanation: “My friends and I” means “We” (plural). Therefore, the verb stays in its base form “watch”. Option B is only for singular 3rd person subjects. Option A requires a “to be” verb and changes the tense.
6 B
Explanation: “She” is a 3rd person singular subject, so we must add “-s” to the verb → “plays”. Option A is missing the “-s”. Option C is a grammatical error combining “to be” and a base verb.
7 C
Explanation: For the subject “She”, the negative auxiliary is “doesn’t”. Option B “don’t” is a common mistake. Option A “isn’t” is wrong because “like” is a state verb, which needs “doesn’t”.
8 B
Explanation: “Tom” equals “he” (singular). To ask a question, we use “Does”. Option A “Do” is for plural subjects or I/you. Option C “Is” cannot be used with the main verb “like”.
9 C
Explanation: In short answers, we match the auxiliary verb from the question (“Does Tom…”). The answer must be “Yes, he does.” Option B is a structural error. Option B is incorrect subject-verb agreement.
10 A
Explanation: “Your hobbies” is a plural noun (they), and “expensive” is an adjective. So, we need the plural “to be” verb “Are”. Option B is for singular nouns. Option C is wrong because there is no action verb in the sentence.
11 B
Explanation: “We” is a plural subject, so the verb “hate” stays in its base form. Option A incorrectly adds an “-s”. Option C is a common mistake combining “are” with a base verb.
12 B
Explanation: The subject is “you” and the main verb is “like”. The correct auxiliary is “do”. Option A is for he/she/it. Option C is wrong because of the action verb “like”.
13 C
Explanation: “My brother” (he) needs an “-s” or “-es” at the end of the verb. Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -o take “-es” → “watches”. Option B is a spelling mistake. Option A misses the ending.
14 C
Explanation: “A good dancer” is a noun phrase, so we need the “to be” verb. For “I”, it is “am”. Option A is wrong because “do” requires a main action verb. Option B is for he/she/it.
15 B
Explanation: Words like “everybody”, “everyone”, “nobody” are always treated as singular subjects in English grammar. Therefore, we use “is”. Option A is a very common trap because “everybody” implies many people in meaning, but it is grammatically singular.
16 A
Explanation: “Never” is an adverb of frequency that already has a negative meaning (“0% of the time”). We use it with a positive verb form: “I never play”. Options B and C create “double negatives” which are grammatically incorrect in standard English.
17 B
Explanation: In Present Simple questions, after using “Does”, the main verb MUST return to its base form without “-s”. “Does she want…” is correct. Option C is a very common mistake where students put “-s” on the main verb even in a question.
18 C
Explanation: “Your parents” is a plural subject (they). Therefore, the correct auxiliary verb to make a question is “do”. Option A is a trap for students who look at “your” and think it is singular.
19 B
Explanation: The question starts with “Are you…”, using the “to be” verb. The short answer must also use the “to be” verb that matches “I”, which is “am” (Yes, I am). Option A is a common mistake where learners reply with “do” automatically.
20 C
Explanation: “My sister and I” is a plural subject (we). The negative form for plural subjects is “don’t have”. Option B is only for singular subjects. Option A incorrectly mixes the “to be” verb with the action verb “have”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The “To Be” verbs (am/is/are): Use these with adjectives, nouns, or locations (e.g., I am happy, Are your hobbies expensive?). Do NOT mix them with normal action verbs (is play is always wrong!).
- State Verbs (Like, love, hate, want): We use these verbs in the Present Simple to talk about our hobbies and feelings. We rarely use them in the “-ing” form for general truths.
- The “S” rule (He/She/It): Only add “-s” or “-es” in positive sentences for 3rd person singular.
- Questions & Negatives (Do/Does/Don’t/Doesn’t): If you use these auxiliary words, the main verb MUST be in its base form (e.g., Does she want…, NOT Does she wants…).
- Tricky Subjects: “Everybody” and “Everyone” are singular (Everybody is). “My parents” or “My friend and I” are plural (We/They do).