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Simple Present and Simple Past Tense for Class 3 : Rules, Examples and Worksheets with Answers

Is your child mixing up “she plays” and “she played”? That is very normal in Class 3. A good tense worksheet for class 3 helps children see the difference between what happens now and what happened before, and then practise it until it feels easy. In this guide, we explain the simple present tense and simple past tense in plain words, give lots of examples, and share ready-to-use practice sets with an answer key at the end.

This article is made for Class 3 students (around 8 to 9 years old), and also for parents and teachers who want clear, simple help. You can read it together with your child, or print the practice sections and use them as a free printable tense worksheet for grade 3.

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all Tense worksheet for class 3 with answers - Oratrics
☰ Table of Contents

    What Is a Tense?

    A tense tells us when something happens. Verbs (action words) change their form to show time.

    There are three main tenses:

    • Present: it is happening now or happens regularly. I eat an apple.
    • Past: it already happened. I ate an apple.
    • Future: it will happen later. I will eat an apple.

    In Class 3, children mostly learn the simple present and simple past. The simple future is often introduced lightly. We cover all three below, so this page also works as a base for worksheets on past present future tense for class 3.

    Simple Present Tense for Class 3

    When do we use it?

    We use the simple present tense to talk about:

    1. Daily habits: I brush my teeth every morning.
    2. Facts that are always true: The sun rises in the east.
    3. Things that happen again and again: My mother goes to the market on Sundays.

    Clue words: every day, always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every week.

    The basic rule

    Use the base form of the verb (the plain verb) with I, you, we, they and with plural nouns.

    • I play cricket.
    • You read a book.
    • We eat lunch together.
    • The children sing songs.

    With he, she, it and a single name or thing, add -s or -es to the verb.

    • She plays cricket.
    • Ravi reads a book.
    • The cat drinks milk.
    • The teacher teaches us English.

    Spelling rules for -s and -es

    If the verb ends in…

    What to do

    Example

    Most verbs

    Add -s

    play → plays, run → runs

    s, sh, ch, x, z, o

    Add -es

    wash → washes, teach → teaches, go → goes

    Consonant + y

    Change y to i and add -es

    cry → cries, study → studies

    Vowel + y

    Just add -s

    play → plays, enjoy → enjoys

    Simple present sentences with examples

    • Birds fly in the sky.
    • My father goes to office by bus.
    • Riya brushes her teeth twice a day.
    • We drink milk every morning.
    • The dog barks at strangers.

    Not sentences (negative) and questions

    Use do not (don’t) or does not (doesn’t). After does, the verb goes back to its plain form.

    • I don’t like onions.
    • She doesn’t like onions. (not “doesn’t likes”)
    • Do you play football?
    • Does he play football? (not “Does he plays”)

    Simple Past Tense for Class 3

    When do we use it?

    We use the simple past tense for actions that started and finished in the past.

    • I watched a cartoon yesterday.
    • We went to the zoo last Sunday.
    • She wrote a letter to her friend.

    Clue words: yesterday, last night, last week, last year, two days ago, in the morning (when it is over).

    The basic rule: regular verbs

    For most verbs, add -ed to the plain verb. The past form stays the same for every person (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

    • play → played
    • jump → jumped
    • walk → walked
    • clean → cleaned

    Spelling rules for -ed

    If the verb ends in…

    What to do

    Example

    Most verbs

    Add -ed

    walk → walked

    Silent e

    Add only -d

    bake → baked, love → loved

    Consonant + y

    Change y to i and add -ed

    cry → cried, try → tried

    Vowel + y

    Just add -ed

    play → played

    One short vowel + one consonant

    Double the last letter, add -ed

    stop → stopped, clap → clapped

    Irregular verbs (do not take -ed)

    Some verbs change their whole shape in the past tense. Children need to remember these. Learning five or six a week works better than learning them all at once.

    Present

    Past

    Present

    Past

    go

    went

    see

    saw

    eat

    ate

    come

    came

    write

    wrote

    drink

    drank

    run

    ran

    buy

    bought

    take

    took

    give

    gave

    sing

    sang

    make

    made

    Simple past sentences with examples

    • The boy ate an apple.
    • Mother cooked rice yesterday.
    • They came to my birthday party.
    • The baby cried all night.
    • I saw a rainbow after the rain.

    Not sentences (negative) and questions

    Use did not (didn’t) and did. After did, the verb goes back to its plain form.

    • I didn’t go to school yesterday. (not “didn’t went”)
    • Did you watch the match? (not “Did you watched”)

    Simple Present vs Simple Past: Side-by-Side

    Present (now / always)

    Past (already happened)

    I play in the park every day.

    I played in the park yesterday.

    She goes to school by bus.

    She went to school by bus.

    We eat dinner at 8 o’clock.

    We ate dinner at 8 o’clock last night.

    The cat jumps on the sofa.

    The cat jumped on the sofa.

    He writes a story.

    He wrote a story.

    Easy trick: Look for the clue word first. Every day means present. Yesterday means past. Tomorrow means future.

    Simple Future Tense: A Quick Look

    To talk about something that will happen later, put will before the plain verb.

    • I will visit my grandmother tomorrow.
    • We will have a picnic next Sunday.
    • She will bake a cake on Friday.

    Clue words: tomorrow, next week, next month, soon, later.

    Common Mistakes Class 3 Students Make

    1. Forgetting -s with he/she/it. Wrong: She go to school. Right: She goes to school.
    2. Adding -s with I/you/we/they. Wrong: They eats mangoes. Right: They eat mangoes.
    3. Adding -ed to irregular verbs. Wrong: I buyed a bag. Right: I bought a bag.
    4. Using the past form after did. Wrong: Did she went? Right: Did she go?
    5. Mixing time words and tense. Wrong: Yesterday I go to the park. Right: Yesterday I went to the park.

    Free Printable Tense Worksheet for Grade 3 with Answers

    Below are six short practice sets. You can copy them into a document and print them, or simply do them in a notebook. Each set has 6 to 10 questions so that children do not feel tired. This tense worksheet for class 3 follows the kind of grammar topics found in common Class 3 English textbooks, but you should always match the practice to what your child’s school is teaching.

    Answers are given in the next section. Try to finish a set before checking.

    Worksheet 1: Simple Present Tense

    Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

    1. She ______ (play) cricket every evening.
    2. Birds ______ (fly) in the sky.
    3. My father ______ (go) to office by bus.
    4. The dog ______ (bark) at strangers.
    5. We ______ (eat) lunch at 1 o’clock.
    6. Riya ______ (brush) her teeth twice a day.
    7. The sun ______ (rise) in the east.
    8. I ______ (like) mangoes.
    9. Ravi and Mohan ______ (walk) to school.
    10. The teacher ______ (teach) us English.

    Worksheet 2: Simple Past Tense

    Fill in the blanks with the past form of the verb in brackets.

    1. Yesterday, I ______ (watch) a cartoon.
    2. She ______ (go) to the market last Sunday.
    3. We ______ (play) in the park.
    4. The boy ______ (eat) an apple.
    5. Mother ______ (cook) rice yesterday.
    6. The cat ______ (jump) over the wall.
    7. I ______ (see) a rainbow after the rain.
    8. They ______ (come) to my birthday party.
    9. He ______ (write) a letter to his friend.
    10. The baby ______ (cry) all night.

    Worksheet 3: Choose the Correct Option

    Circle the right word.

    1. Tom ______ to school every day. (go / goes / went)
    2. Last night, we ______ a movie. (watch / watches / watched)
    3. The moon ______ at night. (shine / shines / shined)
    4. I ______ my homework yesterday. (do / does / did)
    5. Birds ______ nests every spring. (build / builds / built)
    6. She ______ her pencil yesterday. (lose / loses / lost)
    7. My sister ______ a song every morning. (sing / sings / sang)
    8. We ______ to the zoo last week. (go / goes / went)

    Worksheet 4: Present or Past?

    Write whether each sentence is in the present tense or the past tense.

    1. The train arrived late.
    2. Mina reads a book daily.
    3. I walked to the park.
    4. Dogs bark loudly.
    5. He drank milk this morning.
    6. The sun sets in the west.

    Worksheet 5: Correct the Mistakes

    Rewrite each sentence correctly.

    1. She go to school.
    2. He play football yesterday.
    3. They eats mangoes.
    4. I buyed a new bag.
    5. The teacher teach us maths.
    6. We goed to the beach.

    Worksheet 6: Past, Present and Future Mix

    These are useful worksheets on past present future tense for class 3, once your child is comfortable with the first two tenses.

    Circle the correct option.

    1. Tomorrow, I ______ my grandmother. (visit / visited / will visit)
    2. Yesterday, she ______ a cake. (bake / baked / will bake)
    3. Every day, he ______ water. (drinks / drank / will drink)
    4. Next Sunday, we ______ a picnic. (have / had / will have)
    5. Last year, I ______ in Class 2. (am / was / will be)
    6. The Earth ______ around the Sun. (moves / moved / will move)

    Answer Key

    Worksheet 1: 1. plays 2. fly 3. goes 4. barks 5. eat 6. brushes 7. rises 8. like 9. walk 10. teaches

    Worksheet 2: 1. watched 2. went 3. played 4. ate 5. cooked 6. jumped 7. saw 8. came 9. wrote 10. cried

    Worksheet 3: 1. goes 2. watched 3. shines 4. did 5. build 6. lost 7. sings 8. went

    Worksheet 4: 1. Past 2. Present 3. Past 4. Present 5. Past 6. Present

    Worksheet 5:

    1. She goes to school.
    2. He played football yesterday.
    3. They eat mangoes.
    4. I bought a new bag.
    5. The teacher teaches us maths.
    6. We went to the beach.

    Worksheet 6: 1. will visit 2. baked 3. drinks 4. will have 5. was 6. moves

    How to Use These Tense Worksheets for Class 3

    From our experience of designing English practice for primary students, short and regular practice works better than one long session. Here is a simple plan that parents and teachers can follow.

    1. Teach first, then test. Read the rules and examples together. Ask your child to say two of their own sentences before starting a worksheet.
    2. Start with one tense. Do Worksheet 1 on one day and Worksheet 2 on another. Mix tenses only after both feel easy.
    3. Practise 10 to 15 minutes a day. Children at this age lose focus quickly. A short, happy session is better than a long tiring one.
    4. Say sentences out loud. Speaking helps children “hear” what sounds right. She go sounds odd once they have heard She goes many times.
    5. Check mistakes together. Do not just mark wrong. Ask, “What is the clue word here?” This builds understanding, not guessing.
    6. Connect to real life. Ask your child to tell you three things they do every day (present) and three things they did yesterday (past).

    Fun Ways to Practise Tenses at Home

    • Diary game : Write two lines each night: one about what happened today (past) and one about what will happen tomorrow (future).
    • Action game: Say “Show me what I did yesterday!” and act out past actions, then present habits.
    • Picture talk: Show a picture and ask, “What is the boy doing? What did he do before this?”
    • Verb cards: Make cards with present forms on one side and past forms on the other, especially for irregular verbs.

    Conclusion

    Tenses become easy when children connect them with real-life time words and daily actions. Start with the simple present, move to the simple past, and then add the simple future. Use the clue words, practise a little every day, and celebrate small wins. With regular practice from a good tense worksheet for class 3, your child can build strong grammar habits that help in writing, speaking and exams.

    At Oratrics, our goal is to help students build confidence in English and communication from an early age. If your child enjoys speaking and writing, explore our other English and communication resources to keep the learning going.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Most Class 3 English books focus on the simple present and simple past tense, with a light introduction to the simple future. Some schools also include a basic idea of the present continuous (is playing). Check your child’s textbook for the exact list.

    Start with daily routines such as brushing teeth, eating breakfast and going to school. Show that he/she/it takes -s or -es, while I/you/we/they use the plain verb.

    Go is an irregular verb. English kept old forms for many common verbs, so go becomes went, not goed. Children learn these by reading, speaking and regular practice.

    You can use the practice sets in this article. Each set has an answer key, so children can self-check. A third grade tense worksheet works best when it has clear clue words and simple sentences.

    Three or four short worksheets a week is enough for most Class 3 children. Quality matters more than quantity. If your child makes the same mistake again and again, repeat that rule before moving on.

    Yes. You can copy the worksheets into a document and print them for home or classroom use.

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