Tenses

There are many rules when it comes to using tenses in the English language. Many students find it difficult to keep track of all the different rules, and often end up using the wrong tense. In this lesson, we will take a look at the present tense and how it is used. We will also explore some common mistakes that people make with the present tense. Stay tuned for more blog posts on English grammar!

What are tenses?

Tenses are verb forms that show the time an action happened, is happening or will happen. In English, there are three tenses: past, present, and future. Each one has a different purpose. The chart below shows how to use each tense.

Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening now or in the future. To form the present tense, you add -s to the verb for he, she, and it. For example:

• He writes a blog post.
• She eats breakfast.
• It rains outside.

To form the present tense of regular verbs that don’t end in -s, you add -es. For example:

• He copies the text.
• She washes the dishes.
• It snowed yesterday.

The present tense can also be used to describe habitual or everyday actions. For example:

• I brush my teeth every morning.
• We eat lunch at noon.
• They go to bed at 11 PM.

Present Tense Forms

Present Tense has four forms:

– Present Simple: to describe habits and permanent situations, e.g. I live in New York;

– Present Continuous: to describe current situations and future plans, e.g. I am meeting John later;

– Present Perfect: to describe past actions connected to now, e.g. We have finished the reports;

– Present Perfect Continuous: to describe past actions continuing up to now, e.g. I have been working on this project for two weeks.

Past Tense

The past tense is used to express actions that have already occurred. The rules for using the past tense are quite simple: just add -ed to the base form of the verb. For example, the base form of ‘walk’ is ‘walks’, so the past tense would be ‘walked’. The base form of ‘read’ is ‘reads’, so the past tense would be ‘read’.

There are a few irregular verbs in the English language, however, which do not follow this rule. For example, the base form of ‘write’ is ‘writes’, but the past tense is not ‘writed’ – it is actually ‘wrote’. The base form of ‘speak’ is ‘speaks’, but the past tense is not ‘spoked’ – it is actually ‘spoke’.

Past Tense Forms

Past Tense also has four different forms – simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous.

The simple past tense is used to express actions that have already occurred and are now finished. For example, ‘I walked to the store’.

The Continuous or Progressive past tense is used to express actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. For example, ‘I was walking to the store when I saw a cat’.

The Perfect past tense is used to express actions that have already occurred and are now finished, in relation to another action in the past. For example, ‘I had walked to the store before I realized I left my phone at home.

The Perfect Continuous or Progressive past tense is used to express actions that were happening at a specific time in the past, in relation to another action in the past. For example, ‘I had been walking to the store for ten minutes when I saw a cat’.

There are many uses for the Past Tense, as you can see.

Future Tense:

The future tense is used to describe an event that has not yet happened. For example, “I will finish my report by noon.” The future tense can be formed in a number of ways in English, including using the word “will,” as shown in the example sentence. Other ways to form the future tense include using the present simple tense, as in “The report is due at noon,” or the present continuous tense, as in “I am finishing my report.”

When to Use the Future Tense

The future tense is used:

– To describe an event that has not yet happened: “I will finish my report by noon.”

– To make a prediction about the future: “The stock market will rebound in the second half of the year.”

– To describe a future plan: “I am going to finish my report by noon.”

– To express a desire or hope for the future: “I hope to finish my report by noon.”

Future Tense Forms:

Future Tense also has four forms.

– Future Simple: “I will finish my report by noon.”

– Future Continuous: “I am going to be finishing my report by noon.”

– Future Perfect: “I will have finished my report by noon.”

– Future Perfect Continuous: “I will have been finishing my report by noon.”

Conclusion:

There are three main tenses in English – the past, present and future. Each tense has its own rules and uses. It’s important to be consistent with the tense you use and to use verbs correctly in each tense. Also, apart from these three basic tenses, there are other tenses that you can use to describe different situations. So, if you’re ever unsure about which tense to use, just refer to a tenses chart or grammar guide.