#Introduction to Tense
In English, tenses show the time of an action. A verb can refer to:
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Present time – something happening now.
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I write this letter to please you.
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Past time – something that has already happened.
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I wrote the letter in his presence.
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Future time – something that will happen.
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I shall write another letter tomorrow.
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So, there are three main tenses in English:
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Present Tense (I write, I love)
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Past Tense (I wrote, I loved)
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Future Tense (I shall write, I shall love)
The word tense comes from the Latin tempus, meaning time.
Sometimes, tenses don’t strictly follow time. For example:
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I wish I knew the answer. (Past tense form, but meaning refers to present)
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Let’s wait till he comes. (Present tense form, but action is in future)
In short, tense = time of the verb action
#Simple Present Tense
The Simple Present Tense is mainly used to talk about actions that are regular, true, or fixed.
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Habitual Actions – to show daily routines or repeated actions.
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He drinks tea every morning.
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I get up at five o’clock every day.
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General Truths or Facts – things that are always true.
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The sun rises in the east.
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Honey is sweet.
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Immediate Actions in Exclamations – when something is happening right now.
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Here comes the bus!
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There she goes!
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Vivid Narration – to make past events sound lively or dramatic.
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Soharab now rushes forward and strikes Rustam.
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Fixed Timetables/Programmes – for future events that are scheduled.
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The train leaves at 5:20.
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The match starts at 9 o’clock.
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Other special uses:
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To introduce quotations: Keats says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
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In time/condition clauses (instead of future tense): I’ll wait till you finish your lunch.
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In sports commentary or live reporting: Dhoni hits the ball and it goes for a six!
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With verbs that are not usually used in continuous form (like know, believe, love).
Subject+do or does not+v1+object (Does comes only with Third Person Singular)
The Simple Past Tense is used to talk about actions that happened and were completed in the past.
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Completed Actions in the Past – often with time expressions like yesterday, last week, ago, in 2005.
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The steamer sailed yesterday.
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I received his letter a week ago.
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She left school last year.
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Past Actions without Mentioning Time – sometimes the time is understood from the context.
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I learnt Hindi in Nagpur.
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I didn’t sleep well. (meaning: last night)
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Babar defeated Rana Sanga at Kanwaha.
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Past Habits – to show actions that someone used to do regularly in the past.
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He studied many hours every day.
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She always carried an umbrella.
Subject+v2+object
The Simple Future Tense is used to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future.
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Future as a Fact (things we cannot control)
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I shall be twenty next Saturday.
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It will be Diwali in a week.
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We will know our exam results in May.
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Predictions or Beliefs about the Future – often used with phrases like I think, I’m sure, I expect, I believe, probably.
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I think Pakistan will win the match.
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I’m sure Helen will get a first class.
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Instant Decisions (made at the time of speaking)
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It is raining. I will take an umbrella.
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“Mr. Sinha is very busy.” – “All right, I’ll wait.”
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The going to form is used in special situations:
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Planned Actions (decided before speaking)
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I am going to resign from my job.
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She is going to buy a car.
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Something Likely or Certain (based on present evidence)
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Look at those clouds. It is going to rain.
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The boat is full of water. It is going to sink.
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She is going to have a baby.
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Action about to Happen (immediate future)
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Let’s get into the train. It’s going to leave.
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Look! The cracker is going to explode.
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The Present Continuous Tense is used to show actions that are happening right now or situations that are temporary.
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Action happening at the moment of speaking
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She is singing now.
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The boys are playing hockey.
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Temporary action (not necessarily at the exact moment)
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I am reading “David Copperfield.” (I may not be reading it this second, but it’s my current activity.)
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Planned or arranged future action
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I am going to the cinema tonight.
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My uncle is arriving tomorrow.
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Annoying or persistent habits (with adverbs like always, continually, constantly)
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My dog is very silly; he is always running out into the road.
The Past Continuous Tense is used to show an action that was happening at a certain time in the past.
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Action going on in the past
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We were watching TV all evening.
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It was getting darker.
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Longer action interrupted by a shorter action – Past Continuous shows the longer action, while Simple Past shows the shorter one.
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The light went out while I was reading.
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When I saw him, he was playing chess.
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the Past Continuous is often paired with the Simple Past to describe two actions happening at the same time, where one interrupts the other.
Affirmative Sentence
Subject+was/were+v-ing+object
He was buying books.
Negative sentence
Subject+was/were+not+v-ing+object
The Future Continuous Tense is used to show an action that will be happening at a particular time in the future.
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Action in progress at a future time
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I suppose it will be raining when we start.
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This time tomorrow, I will be sitting on the beach in Singapore.
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“Can I see you at 5 o’clock?” – “Please don’t come then, I will be watching the tennis match on TV.”
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Planned or expected future actions – things that are already arranged or will normally happen.
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I will be staying here till Sunday.
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He will be meeting us next week.
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The postman will be coming soon.
The Present Perfect Tense connects the past with the present. It is used to describe actions that happened in the past but still matter now.
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Recently completed actions (with just)
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He has just gone out.
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It has just struck ten.
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Past actions without a specific time
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Have you read “Gulliver’s Travels”?
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I have never known him to be angry.
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Mr. Hari has been to Japan.
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Past actions with present results/effects
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Gopi has eaten all the biscuits. (Now there are none left.)
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I have cut my finger. (It is bleeding now.)
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I have finished my work. (Now I am free.)
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Actions that started in the past and continue up to the present (with since/for)
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I have known him for a long time.
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He has been ill since last week.
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We have lived here for ten years.
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We haven’t seen Padina for several months.
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The Past Perfect Tense is used to show that one action was completed before another action or time in the past.
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Action completed before a specific time in the past
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I met him in New Delhi in 1996. I had seen him five years before.
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When two past actions happen, the earlier action takes Past Perfect and the later one takes Simple Past
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When I reached the station, the train had started. (So I missed it.)
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I had done my exercise when Hari came to see me.
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I had written the letter before he arrived.
The Future Perfect Tense is used to describe an action that will be finished before a specific time in the future.
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I shall have written my exercise by then.
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He will have left before you go to see him.
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By the end of this month, I will have worked here for five years.
Affirmative Sentence
The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used when an action started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
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He has been sleeping for five hours (and is still sleeping).
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They have been building the bridge for several months.
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They have been playing since four o’clock.
Affirmative Sentence
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time.
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At that time, he had been writing a novel for two months.
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When Mr. Mukerji came to the school in 1995, Mr. Anand had already been teaching there for five years.
