The Present Simple Tense: Routines, Habits, and Everyday English with Emma

Oct 4, 2020
5 min read

Updated: 5 hours ago

The Present Simple tense is one of the first and most useful English tenses you’ll learn.

We use it to talk about routines, habits, facts, timetables, instructions, and programmes.

In this story, we’ll follow Emma, a cheerful English teacher who enjoys her calm, organised life.

Through her day, you’ll see how we naturally use the Present Simple in real life — with clear examples and time expressions.

👉 The Complete Gude to English Tenses for ESL Learners

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Woman sipping tea in bright room with plants. Text reads: "Present Simple Tense: Routines, Habits & Everyday English." Calm mood.

📚Emma’s Everyday World: Learning the Present Simple

Emma is an English teacher who lives in Singapore. She loves her morning routine.

Every morning, she wakes up at 6:30 a.m. and makes a cup of green tea. She usually listens to music while she gets ready for work.

At 7:30, she takes the MRT to school. The train leaves at 7:35, so she never arrives late. On the train, she often reads a book or checks her lesson plan for the day.

When Emma arrives at school, she greets her students and starts her first class at 8:30 a.m. She teaches English grammar and vocabulary. Her students ask questions, and she answers patiently.

At 12:30, she has lunch with her colleagues in the school café. She usually eats rice with vegetables and drinks lemon water. After lunch, she marks homework or plans lessons for the next day.

After work, Emma goes to yoga class. The class starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 7. Her yoga instructor always says, “Breathe deeply and relax.” (That’s an instruction in Present Simple!)

In the evening, Emma cooks dinner, watches her favourite TV programme at 9, and calls her family in Malaysia. She goes to bed around 10:30 p.m. because she gets up early the next day.

On weekends, she visits her friends, goes to art galleries, or writes blog posts about language learning. She doesn’t work on Sundays, but she checks her emails — just in case!

🕒 Grammar Focus: When Do We Use the Present Simple?

We use the Present Simple to talk about:

Situation	Example from the Story	Time Expressions
Daily routines	Emma wakes up at 6:30.	every morning
Habits	She usually listens to music.	usually, often
Timetables / schedules	The train leaves at 7:35.	at 7:35
Instructions	“Breathe deeply and relax.”	always
Facts / general truths	Emma is an English teacher.	—
Notices / programmes	The class starts at 6 p.m.	at 6 p.m., every week
Negative form	She doesn’t work on Sundays.	on Sundays

📩 Download Free PDF Worksheet

👉 Present Simple Practice: Emma's Everyday Life

💡 Quick Grammar Tips:

✅ Add -s or -es for he/she/it → She wakes up, he goes to work.

✅ Use do/does for questions → Does Emma like yoga?

✅ Use don’t/doesn’t for negatives → She doesn’t drink coffee.

✏️ Part 2 – Practice Exercises

A. Choose the correct verb form.

Emma (wake / wakes) up at 6:30.
She (listen / listens) to music in the morning.
The train (leave / leaves) at 7:35.
She (don’t / doesn’t) work on Sundays.
Her class (start / starts) at 8:30.

B. Complete the sentences with time expressions:

every morning | on weekends | at 12:30 | usually | sometimes

Emma drinks tea ________.
She has lunch ________.
She ________ does yoga .
She ________ checks her emails .
She writes blog posts ________.

C. Answer the questions.

What time does Emma get up?
Where does she work?
What does she do after work?
What does she do on weekends?
Does she work on Sundays?

D. Write about you!

Write 5 sentences about your daily routine using Present Simple.

Use words like always, often, sometimes, never, every day.

Example:

I get up at 7 a.m. I usually have toast for breakfast. I go to work by bus. I don’t drink coffee in the evening.

________________________________________________________________

🗝️ Answer Key

A: 1. wakes, 2. listens, 3. leaves, 4. doesn’t, 5. starts

B: 1. every morning, 2. at 12:30, 3. usually, 4. sometimes, 5. on weekends

C: (Answers vary)

✅ Tip:

The Present Simple is used for routines, habits, timetables, facts, and instructions.

🔗 Keep Learning:

👉3 Ways to Use the Present Continuous Tense + Example Sentences

🎥 Checkout the YouTube Video with 🗣️voice narration to practise listening

👉 The Present Continuous Story: A Day in the Life of Sarah & Tom

👩‍🏫 Frequently Asked Questions: Mastering the Present Simple

1. When will I actually use this in my daily life?

The Present Simple is your "everyday" tense. You’ll use it most often to talk about your life, your family, and your career.

Daily Routine: "I wake up at 7:00 AM and prepare breakfast for my kids."
Work Responsibilities: "I manage a team of five people."
Personal Facts: "I speak English and Spanish."

2. Why do I keep forgetting the "-s" for "He" or "She"?

Don't worry—it's the most common mistake for learners! Think of the -s as a "tag" you must add whenever you talk about someone else (like your boss, your husband, or your daughter).

My friend lives nearby.
She works from home.
He cooks dinner on Fridays.

3. How do I talk about my weekly schedule?

The Present Simple is perfect for your calendar. We often use it with "Frequency Adverbs" to show how often we do things:

"I always check my email first thing in the morning."
"I usually go to the gym on Tuesdays."
"I never drink coffee after 4:00 PM."

4. "I don't" vs. "She doesn't"—which one is it?

When you want to say "no," use don't for yourself and doesn't for another person.

The Golden Rule:

When you use doesn't, the main verb goes back to its simple form. No extra "s"!

✅ Correct: "She doesn't have a car."
❌ Incorrect: ~~"She doesn't has a car."~~

5. How do I ask polite questions?

In a social or professional setting, we start questions with Do or Does.

Networking: "Do you work in this building?"
Socializing: "Does your daughter go to this school?"
Shopping: "Do you accept credit cards?"

📝 Quick Reference Guide

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
I / You / We	I work.	I don't work.	Do you work?
She / He / It	She works.	She doesn't work.	Does she work?