Present Tense

Present tense describes what happens now — your habits, routines, facts, and what is happening at this moment. For CELPIP, present tense is essential for opening statements, describing your current situation, and talking about general truths.

There are four ways to express actions in the present time zone, but three are most important for CELPIP:

1. Simple Present - What you do regularly
2. Present Continuous - What's happening right now
3. Present Perfect - Recent past still important now
4. Present Perfect Continuous - How long something has been happening

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Simple Present

Simple Present describes regular habits, facts, and things you do routinely.

When to Use

• Regular habits: "I study every day."
• Your job: "She works as a teacher."
• Facts: "The test has four sections."
• Routines: "I wake up at 7am."

How to Form Simple Present:

The simple present uses the base form of the verb with one key difference: for 3rd person if it is singular we add -s or -es.

• Plural (I, you, we, they) → Base verb with NO changes

Subject	Verb	Example
I	speak	"I speak English."
you	speak	"You speak English."
we	speak	"We speak English."
they	speak	"They speak English."

• Singular (he, she, it) → Add -s or -es

Subject	Verb	Example
he	speaks	"He speaks English."
she	speaks	"She speaks English."
it	speaks	"It speaks English."

When to Add -s or -es (3rd Person Singular Only)

• Most verbs → Add -s

Base Verb	+s	Example
speak	speaks	"She speaks."
work	works	"He works."
write	writes	"She writes."
read	reads	"He reads."
help	helps	"He helps."

• Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -z → Add -es

Base Verb	+es	Example
watch	watches	"She watches."
wash	washes	"He washes."
pass	passes	"She passes."
fix	fixes	"He fixes."

• Verbs ending in consonant + y → Change y to i, add -es

Base Verb	Change to	Example
study	studies	"She studies."
try	tries	"He tries."
worry	worries	"She worries."

Remember:

• ✅ "I speak." / "They speak." (base verb, no -s)
• ✅ "She speaks." / "He speaks." (add -s)
• ❌ "I speaks." (WRONG)
• ❌ "You speaks." (WRONG)

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Present Continuous

Present Continuous describes actions happening at this exact moment or temporary activities.

When to Use

• Right now: "I am writing an email."
• This moment: "She is working on the project."
• Temporary activity: "I am learning English."

How to Form Present Continuous:

Structure: am/is/are + verb-ing

• Singular (I) → am

Subject	am/is/are	Verb-ing	Example
I	am	speaking	"I am writing an email."

• Singular (he, she, it) → is

Subject	am/is/are	Verb-ing	Example
he	is	speaking	"He is working now."
she	is	speaking	"She is working now."
it	is	speaking	"It is working now."

• Plural (you, we, they) → are

Subject	am/is/are	Verb-ing	Example
you	are	speaking	"You are reading this."
we	are	speaking	"We are studying together."
they	are	speaking	"They are playing outside."

Rules for Adding -ing

• Most verbs → Add -ing

Base Verb	+ing	Example
speak	speaking	"I am speaking."
work	working	"She is working."
read	reading	"He is reading."
listen	listening	"They are listening."

• Verbs ending in -e → Drop the -e, add -ing

Base Verb	Drop -e, +ing	Example
write	writing	"I am writing."
make	making	"She is making."
take	taking	"He is taking."
come	coming	"They are coming."

• One-syllable verbs ending in consonant → Double the consonant, add -ing

Base Verb	Double + ing	Example
sit	sitting	"She is sitting."
run	running	"He is running."
stop	stopping	"I am stopping."
put	putting	"We are putting."

Important Note: Some verbs that describe states (not actions), so we don't use continuous forms:

❌ Wrong: "I am having a problem."

✅ Correct: "I have a problem."

❌ Wrong: "She is knowing the answer."

✅ Correct: "She knows the answer."

Examples of verbs: be, have, know, like, love, hate, want, need, seem, appear, believe

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Present Perfect

Present Perfect connects the past to the present — something happened recently and it still matters now.

When to Use

• Recent past: "I have reported this issue."
• Still matters now: "I have tried to contact you." (implies: still looking for a response)
• Repeated actions: "I have asked you multiple times."

How to Form Present Perfect:

Structure: have/has + past participle

• Plural (I, you, we, they) → have

Subject	have/has	Past Participle	Example
I	have	reported	"I have reported this issue."
you	have	reported	"You have helped me."
we	have	reported	"We have finished the project."
they	have	reported	"They have arrived."

• Singular (he, she, it) → has

Subject	have/has	Past Participle	Example
he	has	reported	"He has completed the work."
she	has	reported	"She has completed her work."
it	has	reported	"It has stopped working."

Regular Past Participles (= -ed form)

Base Verb	Past Participle	Example
report	reported	"I have reported the problem."
request	requested	"I have requested a refund."
work	worked	"I have worked there."
study	studied	"I have studied hard."

Common Irregular Past Participles

Base Verb	Past Participle	Example
write	written	"I have written an email."
see	seen	"I have seen the document."
go	gone	"They have gone home."
do	done	"I have done my best."
have	had	"I have had problems."
make	made	"I have made a complaint."
take	taken	"I have taken steps."
come	come	"He has come to help."

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Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous emphasizes duration like how long an action has been happening and is still happening now.

When to Use

• Duration: "I have been waiting for a response for weeks."
• Ongoing action: "I have been studying English for 2 years."
• Frustration/emphasis: "I have been trying to reach you since Monday!"

How to Form Present Perfect Continuous:

Structure: have/has + been + verb-ing

• Plural (I, you, we, they) → have been

Subject	have/has	been	Verb-ing	Example
I	have	been	waiting	"I have been waiting for hours."
you	have	been	waiting	"You have been working hard."
we	have	been	waiting	"We have been studying together."
they	have	been	waiting	"They have been waiting."

• Singular (he, she, it) → has been

Subject	have/has	been	Verb-ing	Example
he	has	been	waiting	"He has been waiting."
she	has	been	waiting	"She has been waiting."
it	has	been	working	"It has been working."

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Quick Comparison: When to Use Which Form?

Simple Present	Present Continuous	Present Perfect
"I work every day."	"I am working right now."	"I have worked here for 2 years."
"She studies hard."	"She is studying now."	"She has studied a lot."
Regular habit/fact	Action in progress now	Recent past still matters

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Common Present Tense Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	Why
"She speak English."	"She speaks English."	3rd person singular needs -s
"I am work on it."	"I am working on it."	Continuous needs -ing
"She are working."	"She is working."	Singular (she) uses "is", not "are"
"He have finished."	"He has finished."	3rd person singular uses "has"
"I am having a problem."	"I have a problem."	"have" is stative; don't use continuous
"I have go home."	"I have gone home."	Need past participle, not base verb

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Reference Table (All Forms)

Tense	Structure	When to Use	Example	CELPIP Use
Simple Present	base verb	Regular habits, facts, routines	"I work as a teacher."	Facts about your job or life
Present Continuous	am/is/are + -ing	Right now, this moment, current actions	"I am writing to report a problem."	What's happening NOW as you write/speak
Present Perfect	have/has + past participle	Recent past still important now, repeated actions	"I have reported this issue multiple times."	What you've done that matters to the reader now
Present Perfect Continuous	have/has + been + -ing	Duration, actions that started in past and continue	"I have been waiting for a response for weeks."	How long something has been happening

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Practice Questions (10)

Choose the correct verb form for each sentence.

1. She _____ as a nurse in Toronto hospital.

   • a) work
   • b) works
   • c) is working
   • d) has worked

2. Right now, I _____ an important email to my manager.

   • a) write
   • b) am writing
   • c) have written
   • d) writes

3. They _____ this project for 3 weeks, and it is still not finished.

   • a) work
   • b) are working
   • c) have been working
   • d) works

4. He _____ English, French, and Mandarin fluently.

   • a) speaks
   • b) is speaking
   • c) has spoken
   • d) speak

5. I _____ to contact the customer service department multiple times, but nobody responds.

   • a) try
   • b) am trying
   • c) have tried
   • d) tries

6. What _____ you _____ right now? Can you help me?

   • a) do / do
   • b) are / doing
   • c) have / done
   • d) does / do

7. My brother _____ in Vancouver since 2020. He really likes it there.

   • a) lives
   • b) is living
   • c) has lived
   • d) have lived

8. She _____ her degree next month. She is very excited!

   • a) finishes
   • b) is finishing
   • c) has finished
   • d) finish

9. I _____ this restaurant for years. Their food is always excellent.

   • a) love
   • b) am loving
   • c) have loved
   • d) loves

10. Currently, they _____ the office, so nobody is available right now.

    • a) paint
    • b) paints
    • c) are painting
    • d) have painted

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Answer Key

Question	Answer	Explanation
1	b) works	3rd person singular (she) = works (Simple Present for regular job)
2	b) am writing	Present Continuous (am = I, right now action)
3	c) have been working	Present Perfect Continuous (shows duration: 3 weeks, still happening)
4	a) speaks	3rd person singular (he) = speaks (Simple Present for ability/fact)
5	c) have tried	Present Perfect (multiple times = repeated action, recent past matters)
6	b) are / doing	Present Continuous (What are you doing? right now)
7	c) has lived	Present Perfect (since 2020 = past to now, still there)
8	b) is finishing	Present Continuous (next month = future, but planned/arranged action)
9	a) love	Simple Present (for years = regular habit/general truth)
10	c) are painting	Present Continuous (currently = right now, action in progress)

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Related Tense Resources

• Past Tense
• Future Tense
• Tenses (Full Reference)
• Understanding Verbs