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Verbs - Present Tense
'Michael is eating all the strawberries'. This sentence is in the present tense.

Verbs - Present Tense

Present tense verbs tell what is happening now, like “I jump,” “She sings,” or “We feel proud.”

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Fascinating Fact:

Present tense verbs can share feelings, with “I feel proud” or “We feel worried” telling the truth right now.

In KS1 English, children learn that present tense verbs show what is happening now or happens often. Using the correct verb helps sentences sound clear, tidy and easy to understand.

  • Verb: A doing or being word that tells us what happens in a sentence.
  • Present tense: A verb form that shows an action happening now or regularly.
  • Subject: The person or thing the sentence is about, which must match the verb.
What is a present tense verb for KS1?

A present tense verb tells us something happening now or that happens often, such as “I play,” “She runs,” or “We read every day.”

How do I spot present tense verbs in a sentence?

Look for verbs that fit with now, like “is,” “are,” “run,” “jumps,” or “feel.” If the action is happening right now, it is in the present tense.

How can children practise using present tense verbs correctly?

Ask children to describe their day using now words, for example “I eat breakfast,” “I walk to school,” and “We play outside,” checking each subject matches the verb.

1 .
Which sentence is written in the present tense?
The secretary typed all the notes.
The secretary type all the notes.
The secretary types all the notes.
The secretary typing all the notes.
To change the last answer to the present tense, you can add the word 'is' so that it says, 'The secretary is typing all the notes.'
2 .
Which sentence is written in the present tense?
A pilot flew the helicopter.
A pilot flies the helicopter.
A pilot had flown the helicopter.
A pilot flied the helicopter.
The verb 'to fly' is what we call an irregular past tense. The word goes from fly, to flies, to flew.
3 .
'Eva climbs the tree.' Which word shows us we are writing in the present tense?
climbs
Eva
the
tree
If she did it yesterday, we would say she 'climbed' the tree.
4 .
Which word is the present tense way of saying 'to teach'?
taught
teached
teaches
teach
To become a teacher you have to go to university.
5 .
'Alfie washes his face.' Which word shows us we are writing in the present tense?
Alfie
washes
his
face
The word 'wash' is the verb and when put in the past tense, we'd write 'washed'.
6 .
What does present tense mean?
It is happening now.
It has happened.
It happened last week.
It describes an object.
Present tense means that something is happening right now. If it's already happened, then it's in the past and is past tense.
7 .
'Emma reads a book.' Which word shows us we are writing in the present tense?
book
a
reads
Emma
When we say someone has read a book, the spelling is the same as when we say, "read your book".
8 .
'My friend Lucy watches television.' Which word shows us we are writing in the present tense?
My
friend
Lucy
watches
The short way of writing 'television' is 'tv'.
9 .
'The owl sits on the grass.' Which word shows us we are writing in the present tense?
sits
on
the
grass
As soon as the owl flies off, we will say 'The owl sat on the grass.'
10 .
'Ollie's dad paints the walls.' Which word shows us we are writing in the present tense?
Ollie's
dad
paints
walls
When he has finished, we will say he painted the walls.
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - What are past, present and future tense?

Author:  Finola Waller (MEd, Primary School Teacher & KS1 English Quiz Writer)

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