Past Simple vs. Present Continuous: Easy Practice with “Yesterday” and “Tomorrow”

CEFR Level: A2 – Pre-Intermediate

⏱️ Reading Time: 3 minutes

Learning when to use the Past Simple and the Present Continuous can be tricky — but don’t worry! This short exercise will help you master both tenses by focusing on two very common time expressions: yesterday and tomorrow.

The Past Simple is used for actions that happened and are finished, while the Present Continuous is used for future plans or actions happening around now.

Past Simple → used for completed actions in the past.
➡️ I went to the cinema yesterday.

Present Continuous → used for planned or arranged future events.
➡️ I’m playing golf tomorrow.

🔑 Quick Tips

• If you’re talking about something finished, use Past Simple.

• If you’re talking about something planned or arranged, use Present Continuous.

• Words like yesterday, last week, or in 2020 signal Past Simple.

• Words like tomorrow, next week, or later signal Present Continuous when talking about the future.