Practice

The Present Simple tense

The Present Simple tense

Paco likes sports


By Josa Junior C. Commons.	By Querpass bilder C Commons	. By Tricky C. Commons.

Audio

Paco likes sports a lot. He does sports to keep fit. He usually plays basketball with his friends at weekends and, from time to time, they go for a mountain bike ride. Paco enjoys cycling very much. They intend to do Saint James' Way by bike next year.

Paco also likes tennis and he plays with Andrés on Wednesday evenings. Although Paco has got a lot of friends, Andrés is one of his best friends. They sometimes watch tennis on television together, but Paco doesn't like to watch all sports on tv. He only watches basketball and tennis. Paco likes tennis because his father plays with him occasionally.

Do you recognize all the simple present forms that appear in the text?. There are some forms of the verb to be, some of the verb to have got and several common verbs in Simple Present Tense. Make an effort and try to identify just the third person singular forms.

The Present Continuous tense

The Present Continuous tense

Paco is gradually improving his level of English

By Alexbrn Creative Commons

Audio

Is Paco really improving his level of English? Yes, he is.Paco is taking pains to learn English. He is making a great effort to speak English properly. Although he is improving his English quickly, he is taking his time. He is not attending private lessons to waste his time. He is studying hard because he needs it for his journey around the world.

The most important matter is that now Paco is enjoying English. He is learning a lot about both British and American social background.

In this passage you can find some examples of the present continuous tense in affirmative and negative. Can you identify them?

Revision exercise

Read the text again and match the verbs on the left column with the expressions on the right column.

a. take	1. hard
b. improve	2. about British & American society
c. make	3. his English
d. attend	4. studying English
e. study	5. private lessons
f. enjoy	6. a great effort
g. learn	7. pains to learn

a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

Use the correct present tense

Fill in the blanks with the suitable form using the Present Continuous or the Present Simple

Elaboración propia. Derechos cedidos a la Consejería de Educación, Junta de Extremadura

This is Antonio, Paco's father, speaking about his family.

'My name (to be) Antonio; l (to live) in the center of Cáceres with my family. Most people (to believe) we (to be) rich because we (to live) in a big house. But our family (to seem) to be like any other one. Have a look:

Isabel, my wife, (to like) cooking. She (to enjoy) being in the kitchen with her friends. At the moment she (to make) a cake and you can't talk to her.

What really (to worry) her is our daughter who (to prefer) to chat in front of her computer instead of cooking with her. Like many teenagers, Sonia (to think) it (to be) easier to get advice from someone you (not + to go to) see later. It's 5 pm. Paco, my son, (to play) basketball in the garden and I (to watch) TV, I (to wait) for this delicious cake that Isabel (to cook) . I told you, a family as yours. '

	Yes, he have two brothers.
	Yes, he has a brother and a sister.

	No, he doesn't.
	Yes, he does.

	Yes, he does.
	No, he doesn't

	No, he doesn't.
	Yes, he does.

	Yes, he does.
	No, he doesn't.