Hook

Quick check: can you say what you are doing right now, what you usually do every day, and what you did yesterday — all correctly? This lesson is your A1 refresher before we build new grammar on top of it.

Notice

“I am a student.” — “She works in a bank.” — “We are studying English right now.” Three different jobs, three different verb forms.

Rule

To be (am/is/are) describes who or what something is. Present simple (work/works, don’t/doesn’t + verb) describes routines, facts, and habits. Present continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing) describes something happening right now or these days.

Practice

  1. My sister ______ (work) in a hospital. Answer: works
  2. Look! It ______ (rain) outside. Answer: is raining
  3. They ______ (be) from Brazil. Answer: are
  4. I usually ______ (not/drink) coffee at night. Answer: don’t drink
  5. Right now, we ______ (review) A1 grammar. Answer: are reviewing

Connect

Test your grammar instincts with our Grammar Quiz — it mixes tenses just like this review does.

Try our Grammar Quiz →

This lesson reviews CEFR A1 foundations before new A2 material begins.

Azizul Hakim