Present simple tense
The simple present tense is used in English for the following purposes:
- Repeated actions
- Simple statements of fact
- World truths
- With verbs of the senses and mental processes
- In jokes and story telling
- To refer to the future
How to form the present simple?
Affirmative: Subject + Base Form of the Verb
*note: for 3rd Person Singular (he/ she/ it) add ‘s’ to the base form
- I/ You/ We/ They work in a bank.
- He/ She works in a bank.
I always come to school by car.
She frequently arrives here before me.
Present Continuous tense
The present continuous tense is most often used for the following:
- For actions happening now
- For future arrangements
- To express annoyance at repeated actions
How to form the present continuous
Affirmative: Subject + BE + Verb-ING
- You are cooking.
-Sorry, she can't come to the phone right now; she is having a bath.
-Look! Someone is trying to break into your car.
Present Perfect tense
The present perfect tense is most often used for the following:
- For past events with a connection to the present
- With words of unfinished time
How to form the present perfect
Affirmative: Subject + have/ has + Past Participle (3rd Form of the Verb)
- I/ You/ We/ They have finished the letter.
- He/ She has finished the letter.
-I have lost my dictionary. (I don't have my dictionary now; can you help me find it?)
-Mary has fixed my computer (My computer is working now and I'm happy about it!)
Present Perfect tense
The present perfect tense is most often used for the following:- For past events with a connection to the present
- With words of unfinished time
How to form the present perfect
Affirmative: Subject + have/ has + Past Participle (3rd Form of the Verb)
- I/ You/ We/ They have finished the letter.
- He/ She has finished the letter.
-I have lost my dictionary. (I don't have my dictionary now; can you help me find it?)
-Mary has fixed my computer (My computer is working now and I'm happy about it!)
Present Perfect Continuous tense
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about:
past action recently-stopped
past action still-continuing
FORM: Affirmative: Subject + have/ has been + Verb-ING
- I'm tired [now] because I've been running.
- Why is the grass wet [now]? Has it been raining?
- I have been reading for 2 hours. (I am still reading now.)
- We've been studying since 9 o'clock. (We're still studying now.)
- How long have you been learning English? (You are still learning now.)
past action recently-stopped
past action still-continuing
FORM: Affirmative: Subject + have/ has been + Verb-ING
Present Perfect Continuous for past action just stopped
We use the Present Perfect Continuous tense to talk about action that started in the past and stopped recently. There is usually a result now.- I'm tired [now] because I've been running.
- Why is the grass wet [now]? Has it been raining?
Present Perfect Continuous for past action continuing now
We use the Present Perfect Continuous tense to talk about action that started in the past and is continuing now. This is often used with for or since.- I have been reading for 2 hours. (I am still reading now.)
- We've been studying since 9 o'clock. (We're still studying now.)
- How long have you been learning English? (You are still learning now.)
More example:
- I/ you/ We/ They have been learning English for a year.
- He/ She has been learning English for a year.
We've been painting our house since last Friday, but we're still a long way from finishing.
Past Simple tense
The past simple tense is most often used for the following:
- For actions that happened in the past
- In reported speech
- In conditional sentences
How to form the past simple
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + Verb in Past Simple (2nd form)
- I/ You/ He/ She/ It/ We/ They lived in London 5 years ago.
- Did you see the film on TV last night?
Past Continuous tense
The past continuous tense is most often used for actions happening at some time in the past.
How to form the past continuous
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + was/ were + Verb-ING
For example:
- I/He/She was having a shower when you called.
- We/ You/ They were watching TV when Bob arrived.
- Sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you say it again please?
- What were you doing at 8 o'clock yesterday?
-Were you watching me when I showed you how to do it?
Past Perfect tense
Past Perfect tense
The past perfect tense is most often used for the following:
- For actions that happened before a past event
- In reported speech
- In if (conditional) sentences
How to form the past perfect
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + had + Past Participle
For example:
- I/ You/ He/ She/ We/ They had already met Sarah before the party.
Past Perfect Continuous tense
The Past Perfect Continuous is another tense that expresses the "past in the past"
The Past Perfect Continuous tense is like the Past Perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the past before another action in the past.
FORM:
Affirmative: Subject + had been + Verb-ING
For example:
- Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two hours.
- I/ You/ He/ She/ We/ They had been living in Vietnam for years before moving here.
Future Simple tense
Future Simple with no plan
We use the Future Simple tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking.
Future Simple for prediction
We often use the Future Simple tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen.
Future Simple with main verb be
When the main verb is be, we can use the Future Simple tense even if we have a firm plan or decision before speaking.
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + Will + Base Form of the Verb
For example:
- I/ You/ He/ She/ We/ They will see Jane when she comes back from India.
- We will see what we can do to help you.
- It will rain tomorrow.
Future Continuous tense
The Future Continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The action will have started before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment.
When we use the Future Continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. For example, They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + Will Be + Verb-ING
For example:
- I/ You/ He/ She/ We/ They will be having fun at the party.
- You‘ll be doing housework with me at six tomorrow. You won’t be playing football. What will you be doing at six tomorrow?
Future Perfect Tense
The Future Perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the future. This is the past in the future.
You can sometimes think of the Future Perfect tense like the Present Perfect tense, but instead of your viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + Will Have + Past Participle
- I/ You/ He/ She/ We/ They will have met Dora’s husband by this time tomorrow.
- You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
- They‘ll have arrived by the time we return. They won’t have arrived by the time we return. Will they have arrived by the time we return?
The Future Perfect Continuous tense
The Future Perfect Continuous tense is like the Future Perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions or states extending up to some specific event or time in the future.
Notice that the long action or state can start at any time in the past, present or future, but of course it always ends in the future.
FORM
AffirmativeAffirmative: Subject + Will Have Been + Verb-ING
- I/ You/ He/ She/ We/ They will have been working with John for ten years next week.
- How long will Jo have been working when he retires?
- Next month I'll have been studying Chinese for two years.
- Will you have been working when I arrive?
- We will have been staying here for a week tomorrow. We won’t have been staying here for a week tomorrow. How long will we have been staying here?
- You will have been living here for thirty years by this time next year. You won’t have been living here for thirty years by this time next year How long will you have been living here by this time next year?
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