Tenses
Tenses tell us when an action or event took place. Tenses help us talk about when something happens – whether in the past, present, or future. This article will help you understand the various types of tenses and their examples.
Types of Tenses:
There are three main tenses:
1. Present Tense
The Present Tense is used to talk about actions or events that are happening now or are true in general. The base form is used in the present tense. For example: “eat,” “sleep,” “play.”
Present Tense is further divided into four groups:
a) Simple Present Tense: It is used to describe actions that are regular, habitual, or generally true.
Structure: Subject + Verb (base form) + Object
Sentence Examples:
- She writes stories for the school magazine.
- They play football every Saturday.
b) Present Continuous Tense: It is used to describe actions that are happening right now or in the present moment.
Structure: Subject + “is” or “am” or “are” + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Sentence Examples:
- I am studying for the exam.
- The kids are playing in the garden.
c) Present Perfect Tense: It is used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into the present or have just been completed.
Structure: Subject + “has” or “have” + Past Participle + Object
Sentence Examples:
- She has finished her homework.
- They have already eaten dinner.
d) Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
It is used to describe actions that started in the past, continue into the present, and may continue in the future.
Structure: Subject + “has been” or “have been” + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Sentence Examples:
- He has been working on the project all day.
- We have been waiting for the bus for an hour.
2. Past Tense
The past tense is used to talk about actions or events that have already happened. Regular verbs add “-ed” to the base form to form the past tense. For example: “walk” becomes “walked.”
Irregular verbs have their own unique past tense forms. For example: “go” becomes “went.”
Past Tense is further divided into four groups:
a) Simple Past Tense:: It is used to describe actions that happened and were completed in the past.
Structure: Subject + Verb (past form) + Object
Sentence examples:
- She played the piano at the concert.
- They visited their grandparents last summer.
b) Past Continuous Tense: It is used to describe actions that were ongoing or in progress at a specific time in the past.
Structure: Subject + “was” or “were” + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Sentence examples:
- I was reading a book when the phone rang.
- The children were playing in the park yesterday.
c) Past Perfect Tense: It is used to describe actions that were completed before another past action or event.
Structure: Subject + “had” + Past Participle + Object
Sentence examples:
- She had already left when I arrived.
- By the time they arrived, we had finished the project.
d) Past Perfect Continuous Tense: It is used to describe actions that were ongoing in the past, leading up to a specific moment or another action in the past.
Structure: Subject + “had been” + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Sentence examples:
- I had been working here for five years before I got promoted.
They had been practicing for the competition when it started raining.
3. Future Tense
The Future Tense is used to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future. To form the future tense, we use “will” or “shall” followed by the base form of the verb. For example: “will go,” “shall read.”
We use the future tense to make predictions and talk about plans.
Future Tense is further divided into four types:
a) Simple Future Tense: It is used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
Structure: Subject + “will” + Verb (base form) + Object
Sentence examples:
- They will visit their grandparents next weekend.
- She will start her new job in January.
b) Future Continuous Tense: It is used to describe actions that will be ongoing or in progress at a specific time in the future.
Structure: Subject + “will be” + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Sentence examples:
- I will be waiting for you at the station.
- At 9 PM tomorrow, he will be watching a movie.
c) Future Perfect Tense: It is used to describe actions that will be completed before a specific future time or event.
Structure: Subject + “will have” + Past Participle + Object
Sentence examples:
- By next year, he will have completed his degree.
- The team will have practiced for a week before the match.
d) Future Perfect Continuous Tense: It is used to describe actions that will be ongoing until a certain future time or event.
Structure: Subject + “will have been” + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Sentence examples:
- By the time they arrive, we will have been waiting for two hours.
- He will have been studying for the test for five hours by tomorrow evening.
Please refer to this table to revise the tenses:
| Tense | Type | Rule | Example |
| Present Tense | Simple Present Tense | Subject + Base form of verb | She goes to school. |
| Present Continuous Tense | Subject + is/am/are +verb (ing form) | She is going to school. | |
| Present Perfect | Subject + has/have+ Past Participle | She has gone to school. | |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Subject + has/have been + verb (ing form) | She has been going to school. | |
| Past Tense | Simple Past Tense | Subject + verb (past form) | They drank water. |
| Past Continuous Tense | Subject + was/were + verb (ing) | They were drinking water. | |
| Past Perfect | Subject + had + Past Participle | They had drunk water. | |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Subject + had been + verb (ing) | They had been drinking water. | |
| Future Tense | Simple Future Tense | Subject + will/shall Base form of verb | He will ride the bicycle. |
| Future Continuous Tense | Subject + will/shall be +verb (ing form) | He will be riding the bicycle. | |
| Future Perfect | Subject + will/shall have+ Past Participle | He will have ridden the bicycle. | |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Subject + will/shall have been + verb (ing form) | He will have been riding the bicycle. |
Question: Identify the tenses used in each of the given sentences:
- She sings beautifully.
- They will be watching a movie tomorrow.
- We had already finished our dinner when they arrived.
- He has been studying for three hours.
- Are you going to the party tonight?
Answers:
- Simple Present Tense
- Future Continuous Tense
- Past Perfect Tense
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- Present Continuous Tense