Present simple, present continuous and the past simple tenses

I. Use
Present simple use to talk about an action that is truth or fact or happen regularly.
( Nói về một hành động thường xuyên xảy ra hoặc một sự thật hiển nhiên)
Ex: I walk to school everyday.
Ice melts in 100C degree.
The sun rises on the east.
Present continuous is used to talk about a thing that you are doing at the moment.
Ex. I am learning English now.
Past simple is used to talk about a thing that we did and finished in the past.
( nói về một hành động mình đã làm và hoàn thành ở quá khứ)
Ex: I listened to music yesterday.
II. Form:
Present simple:
+ S + V (es/s) + O
s/es: he, she , it, N
Vinf: I, you, We, they, Ns
(-) S + don’t/ doesn’t + V + O
(?) Do/ Does + S + V + O?
Yes, S + Do/does
No, S + Don’t / doesn’t
Present continuous:
+ S + is/ am/ are + Ving + O
(-) S + isn’t / am not / aren’t + Ving + O
(?) Is/ am / are + S + Ving + O?
Yes, S + is/ am / are
No, S + isn’t/ am not / aren’t
Past simple:
(+) S + V-ed/ PI + O
(-) S + didn’t + Vinf + O
(?) Did + S + Vinf + O?
Yes, S + did
 No, S + didn’t
III. Hint
Present simple Present continuous Past simple
Now, right now, at the Yesterday
Always, usually, often moment, today Last week, last month,
sometime, never This month, this year, last year,…
Every day, every week, this week 1 year ago, 2 days ago
every month, every year Look!, listen!, keep
silent!, look out!

Exercise 1. Put the verb in brackets into the present simple or past simple
1. We _________ (go) to the beach last weekend.
2. My cousins _________ (not/ visit) us every weekend.
3. ___________ (your mum/ make) a chocolate yesterday?
4. I _______ (send) Jessica an email yesterday afternoon
5. The children always ______ (do) their homework.
6. Last year, I ___________ (travel) to Japan.
7. ___________ you ___________ (have) dinner last night?
8. He ___________ (arrive) from the airport at 8:00, ___________ (check) into the
hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
9. I ___________ (receive) three messages two minutes ago.
10. She ___________ (work) at the movie theater after school.
11. Yesterday she ___________ (go) to the cinema and ___________ (watch) a horror
movie.
12. Carlos always ___________ (eat) spaghetti but two days ago he ___________
(eat) soup.
13. We seldom ___________ (drink) alcohol during the forenoon.
14. Somebody ___________ (take) the flowers from the graves in the morning
15. When ___________ your grandpa ___________ (come) home after war?
16. Some girls ___________ (not/ read) the book yesterday
17. When ___________ (be) they in London the last time? - I think in 2002
18. Why ___________ you ___________ (help) your brother with the homework? -
Because he ___________ (be) rather lazy all the time
19. My dog sometimes ___________ (catch) a mouse and ___________ (bring) it to
the front door
Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer
1. Dad doesn’t buy/ didn’t buy a new car.
2. I don’t watch/ didn’t watch TV last night.
3. Do you like/ liked chips?
4. Mary leaves/ left for Italy last month.
5. Did John come/ came to the party?
Exercise 3: Put the verbs in the present simple or the past simple
1. A: ___________________ (you/ go) to work yesterday?
B: No, I __________. I ___________ (never/ work) on Saturdays.
2. A: _______________ (you/ see) Charles yesterday?
B: Yes. We ________ (have) lunch together.
3. A: ____________ (Colin/ work) at a bank?
B: No, he ____________. He __________ (work) at a post office
4. A: ____________ (you/ do) anything exciting last Sunday?
B: No, not really. I _____________ (watch) TV and _________________ (read) a
book. It was a boring weekend.
5. A: What __________ (you/do) at weekends?
B: We usually ___________(go) to the beach.
Exercise 4: Complete the sentences with the time expressions from the list

at the moment always yesterday last night every week

1. We watched a really good film at the cinema __________.

2. He is upset because he failed his driving test __________.
3. She ____________ brushes her teeth before she goes to bed at night.
4. I am working _____________ I can’t come with you.
5. My mother does the shopping _______________.
6. I went to a beautiful exotic island ____________. The weather was very hot.
Exercise 5: Choose the correct item
1. My grandmother _______ me a present yesterday.
A. buys
B. bought
C. doesn’t buy
2. Peter _______ basketball yesterday.
A. doesn’t play
B. didn’t play
C. plays
3. Tony always _______ his cousins on Fridays
A. visited
B. didn’t visit
C. visits
4. I _____ my bike in the park every weekend.
A. ride
B. didn’t ride
C. am riding
5. _____ they _____ to the beach last Saturday?
A. Did, goes
B. Do, go
C. Did, go
6. Who ______ penicillin?
A. discovers
B. discovering
C. discovered
7. I usually ______ a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
A. eat
B. eats
C. eating
8. Mum ______ very happy today.
A. was
B. is
C. are
Exercise 6: Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or the past simple
1. Tommy Brown ________ (like) making up stories. No one ______ (believe) what
he ______ (say) because he always _____ (tell) lies. He ________ (live) in a small
village and _______ (work) on a farm just outside the village. One night last week,
Tommy ______ (finish) work late. It _________ (be) dark and cold. Suddenly, he
_______ (hear) a strange noise, so he _________ (look) up. It __________ (be) a UFO
bright flashing lights. The UFO ________ (come down) towards him and he ________
(see) two green men looking him from outside. He ___________ (scream),
___________ (drop) his bag and ______________ (run away). When he
______________ (arrive) in the village, he ______________ (run) into some villagers
and ______________(start) telling them about the aliens but they all ______________
(laugh) at him. No one ______________ (believe) Tommy.
2. Steven’s friends _____________ (come) to his birthday party last night and
_____________ (give) him wonderful presents. His parents _____________ (cook) a
special dinner for him. His girlfriend _____________ (promise) to come, but she
_____________ (not be) there. He _____________ (try) to phone but he couldn’t get
through. He _____________ (be) really upset. Only she _____________ (not wish)
him a Happy Birthday.
Exercise 7: Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or the past simple
Ling: Hi Amy. ___________ (1. you/ be) at home last weekend?
Amy: No, I ___________ (2. not/ be). My family and I ___________ (3. go) to the
beach. We often ___________ (4. go) to the beach at weekends.
Ling: You’re lucky. ___________ (5. you/ have) a nice time?
Amy: Oh, yes! I ___________ (6. have) a great time!
Ling: Where ___________ (7. you/ stay)?
Amy: We ___________ (8. stay) at my grandparents’ house
Ling: Oh. ___________ (9. they/ live) near the beach?
Amy: Yes, they do. Their house ___________(10. be) right by the beach.
Ling: Wow! That’s cool. And what did you do there?
Amy: We ___________ (11. walk) along the beach and ___________ (12. swim) in
the sea.
Ling: That sounds like a lot of fun.
Exercise 8: Put the verb in brackets into the present simple or past simple
1. “Romeo and Juliet” ______________ (write) by Shakespeare
2. These pictures ________________ (take) during our last Christmas
3. All the reports ________________ (type) by secretary
4. The garbage ________________ (collect) every day.
5. The email ________________ (send) to you two hours ago.
6. When ________________ your mother ________________ (get up) in the
morning?
7. I ________________ (not/ know) how to drive a car.
Exercise 9: Fill the gaps with the verbs in brackets. Put them in the correct tense
I don’t usually ____________ (go) to the cinema but yesterday I ____________ (go)
to see a film. It ____________ (be) fantastic. I ____________ (cry) a little because the
film ____________ (be) very romantic.
Mellisa ____________ (be) with me. She never ____________ (cry) at the cinema so
she ____________ (not cry) yesterday but she also ____________ (enjoy) the film
very much.
Now I ____________ (write) to my friend Peter to tell him about it. Peter usually
____________ (live) here in London, like me but this week he ____________ (live) in
Bristol with her aunt because his parents ____________ (be) in Italy. They
____________ (go) there last week on business. Peter is one of my best friends. He
____________ (be) fourteen years old and we go to the same school.
Last summer Melissa, Peter and I ____________ (go) to Amsterdam on holiday for a
week. We really ____________ (have) a nice time there. We ____________ (visit)
lots of interesting places. We ____________ (not stay) in a hotel. We ____________
(stay) at my uncle’s house. His name is George. He ____________ (be) an engineer.
He is always very busy but that week he ____________(be) on holidays and he
____________ (take) good care of us. He ____________ (show) us the city and we
____________(like) it very much. I must study now. I ____________ (learn) French
this year as I would like to ____________ (visit) Paris next summer.
Exercise 10: Choose the correct answer
1. How often …………….. to the cinema?
A. did you go
B. did you went
C. do you go
2. He ……………….. his best friend last week.
A. meets
B. meet
C. met
3. Sally always …………. her parents.
A. helped
B. helps
C. help
4. They ………….. their room yesterday.
A. didn’t tidy
B. doesn’t tidy
C. don’t tidy
5. I ……… her a question, but she …………..
A. ask, doesn’t reply
B. asked, didn’t reply
C. asks, didn’t reply
6. What time ………… you usually ………………?
A. do, wake up
B. does, wake up
C. did, wake up
7. He ……………. good last week.
A. didn’t felt
B. didn’t feel
C. doesn’t feel
Bài tập 1: Đặt động từ trong ngoặc chia theo thì hiện tại đơn hoặc quá khứ đơn
1. She _________ (go) to the gym last weekend.
2. My friends _________ (not/ visit) us every weekend.
3. ___________ (your dad/ make) a cake yesterday?
4. Linh _______ (send) Hoa a book yesterday afternoon
5. Lan always ______ (do) her homework yesterday afternoon.
6. Last month, Tuan ___________ (travel) to Japan.
7. ___________ Lan ___________ (have) dinner last night?
8. Thu ___________ (arrive) from the airport at 9:00, ___________ (check) into the
motel at 10:00, and meet the others at 12:00.
9. Phong ___________ (receive) five letters two minutes ago.
10. Hong ___________ (work) at the supermarket after school.
11. Yesterday Xuan ___________ (go) to the cinema and ___________ (watch) a
romantic movie.
12. Duy always ___________ (eat) spaghetti but three days ago he ___________ (eat)
soup.
13. I seldom ___________ (drink) Cocacola during the forenoon.
14. He ___________ (take) the flowers from the graves in the morning
15. When ___________ your grandma ___________ (come) home after war?
16. Cuc ___________ (not/ read) the story yesterday
17. When ___________ (be) Phan in London the last time? – I think in 2002
18. Why ___________ Lan ___________ (help) your brother with the housework? –
Because he ___________ (be) rather lazy all the time
19. My cat sometimes ___________ (catch) a mouse and ___________ (bring) it to
the front car
Bài tập 2: Chọn câu trả lời đúng
1. Hai doesn’t buy/ didn’t buy a new car.
2. We don’t watch/ didn’t watch TV show last night.
3. Do you like/ liked snack?
4. Hong leaves/ left for Paris last month.
5. Did Hang come/ came to the party?
Bài tập 3: Đặt các động từ ở thì hiện tại đơn hoặc quá khứ đơn
1. A: ___________________ (she/ go) to the gym yesterday?
B: No, She __________. She ___________ (never/ swim) on Saturdays.
2. A: _______________ (you/ see) Khoa yesterday?
B: Yes. Huan ________ (have) dinner together.
3. A: ____________ (Hao/ work) at a hospital?
B: No, she ____________. She __________ (work) at a bank
4. A: ____________ (Lan/ do) anything exciting last Saturday?
B: No, not really. He _____________ (watch) TV and _________________ (read) a
newspaper. It was a boring sunday.
5. A: What __________ (you/work) on weekends?
B: We usually ___________(go) to the bar
Bài tập 4: Hoàn thành các câu với một số cụm từ chỉ thời gian trong danh sách
sau đây

always last night at the moment every week last summer

1. He watched a really good movie at the cinema __________.

2. Huy is happy because he passed his driving test __________.
3. Hong ____________ skincare before she goes to bed at night.
4. He is working _____________ He can’t come with you.
5. My dad does the bare minimum _______________.
6. Lan went to a beautiful exotic mountain ____________. The weather was very cool.
Bài tập 5: Chọn đáp án đúng
1. My grandpa _______ me a book yesterday.
A. buys
B. bought
C. doesn’t buy
2. Hung _______ soccer yesterday.
A. doesn’t play
B. didn’t play
C. plays
3. Hoa always _______ her cousins on Fridays
A. visited
B. didn’t visit
C. visits
4. Kien _____ his bike in the park every weekend.
A. ride
B. didn’t ride
C. am riding
5. _____ you _____ to the beach last Saturday?
A. Did, goes
B. Do, go
C. Did, go
6. Who ______ Colombia?
A. discovers
B. discovering
C. discovered
7. Hoa usually ______ a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
A. eat
B. eats
C. eating
8. An ______ very happy today.
A. was
B. is
C. are
Bài tập 6: Đặt các động từ trong ngoặc ở hiện tại đơn hoặc quá khứ đơn
Hoa ________ (like) making up stories. No one ______ (believe) what she ______
(say) because she always _____ (tell) lies. She ________ (live) in a small village and
_______ (work) in a garden just outside the village. One night last week, Hoa ______
(finish) work late. It _________ (be) dark and cold. Suddenly, she _______ (hear) a
strange noise, so she _________ (look) up. It __________ (be) a UFO bright flashing
lights. The UFO ________ (come down) towards her and she ________ (see) two
green men looking her from outside. She ___________ (scream), ___________ (drop)
her bag and ______________ (run away). When she ______________ (arrive) in the
village, she ______________ (run) into some villagers and ______________(start)
telling them about the aliens but they all ______________ (laugh) at her. No one
______________ (believe) Hoa.
Bài tập 7: Đặt các động từ trong ngoặc ở hiện tại đơn hoặc quá khứ đơn
Thu: Hi Na. ___________ (1. you/ be) at home last weekend?
Na: No, I ___________ (2. not/ be). My family and I ___________ (3. go) to the
mountain. We often ___________ (4. go) to the mountain on weekends.
Thu: You’re lucky. ___________ (5. you/ have) a nice time?
Na: Oh, yes! I ___________ (6. have) a nice time!
Thu: Where ___________ (7. you/ stay)?
Na: We ___________ (8. stay) at my uncle’s house
Thu: Oh. ___________ (9. they/ live) near the mountain?
Na: Yes, they do. Their house ___________(10. be) right by the mountain.
Thu: Wow! That’s cool. And what did you do there?
Na: We ___________ (11. clim) to the top of the mountain and ___________ (12.
take) some photos.
Thu: That sounds like a lot of fun.
Bài tập 8: Đặt động từ trong ngoặc ở thì hiện tại đơn hoặc quá khứ đơn
1. Harry Potter ______________ (write) by JK. Rowling
2. These pictures ________________ (take) during our last summer
3. All the reports ________________ (type) by John
4. The eggs ________________ (collect) every day.
5. The newspaper ________________ (send) to Lan two hours ago.
6. When ________________ your dad ________________ (get up) in the morning?
7. We ________________ (not/ know) how to drive a car
Bài tập 9: Bài tập chia động từ thì quá khứ đơn cơ bản

1. What she _________ (do) last night? – She _________ (do) her homework.

2. My brother_________ (not/use) the computer yesterday.

3. She _________ (live) in Hanoi.

4. Helen _________ (read) the newspaper last night.

5. He _________ (forget) something?

6. I _________ (go) to the supermarket after school.

7. You _________ (see) Anne’s cat yesterday?

8. She was very sad, so she _________ (leave) the office early.
9. Jack _________ (get) married last month?

10. Last week I _________ (visit) Temple of Literature in Ha Noi.

11. Hasley _________ (eat) pumpkin soup for dinner.

12. My sister _________ (go) to the zoo yesterday.

13. Kate _________ (have) a great time in Paris last summer.

14. What she _________ (eat) for dinner yesterday?

15. I _________ (buy) many souvenirs for my parents.

16. My brother _________ (write) my mother several letters.

17. Helen _________ (help) me with my homework last week.

18. I _________ (return) to Seoul yesterday.

19. She _________ (go) to the club with a stranger yesterday.

20. She _________ (prepare) dinner with her mother yesterday