There are two tenses in English – past and present.
The present tenses in English are used:
to talk about the present
to talk about the future
to talk about the past when we are telling a story in spoken English or when we are
summarising a book, film, play etc.
There are four present tense forms in English:
Tense Form
Present simple: I work
Present continuous: I am working
Present perfect: I have worked
Present perfect continuous: I have been working
We use these forms:
to talk about the present:
He works at McDonald’s. He has worked there for three months now.
He is working at McDonald’s. He has been working there for three months
now.
London is the capital of Britain.
to talk about the future:
The next train leaves this evening at 1700 hours.
I’ll phone you when I get home.
He’s meeting Peter in town this afternoon.
I’ll come home as soon as I have finished work.
You will be tired out after you have been working all night.
We can use the present tenses to talk about the past ...
o when we are telling a story:
Well, it’s a lovely day and I’m just walking down the street when I see this funny guy
walking towards me. Obviously he’s been drinking, because he’s moving from side to
side …
o when we are summarising something we have read, heard or seen:
I love Ian Rankin’s novels. He writes about this detective called Rebus. Rebus lives in
Edinburgh and he’s a brilliant detective, but he’s always getting into trouble. In one
book, he gets suspended and they tell him to stop working on this case. But
he takes no notice ….
Romeo and Juliet is a violent play. After Romeo and Juliet have married in secret,
Romeo is walking in Verona when Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt tries to provoke Romeo into a
fight. Romeo refuses to fight and leaves, but his friend, Mercutio, is so angry that
he fights Tybalt and is killed ….
What Is the Present Tense? (with Examples)
The present tense predominantly describes a current event or state of being.
However, somewhat unusually, the present tense can also be used to
describe past and future events (more on this below). For example:
I jump in the lake every Saturday.
(present event)
I am happy.
(present state of being)
The meeting ends at 6 o'clock.
(future event)
(See "Uses" for Simple Present Tense in the table below.)
A man walks into a bar. Ouch!
(past event)
(See "Uses" for Simple Present Tense in the table below.)
The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three
main tenses are:
past tense
present tense
future tense
Examples of the Types of Present Tense
The present tense is categorised further depending on whether the action is in
progress or completed. The four present tenses are:
The 4 Present
Examples Uses
Tenses
The simple present tense
is used:
I go.
I like chocolate. (1) To describe facts and
The train gets in at 5 habits.
o'clock. (2) To describe
simple present tense
A horse walks into a scheduled events in the
bar, and the barman future.
says, "why the long (3) To tell stories to make
face?" your listener or reader
feel more engaged with
the story.
The present progressive
I am going.
present_progressive tense is used for an on-
Barny is looking for
tense going action in the
the latest brochure.
present.
I have gone. The present perfect tense
David has worked is used to describe
alongside two of the actions that began in the
present perfect tense
world's finest past and are still
scientists in the field continuing into the
of entomology. present.
The present perfect
progressive tense is used
for:
I have been going.
Amanda has been
present perfect (1) a continuous activity
relying on a pay rise
progressive that began in the past
to pay her student
and continues into the
loan.
present, or
(2) a continuous activity
that began in past but
has now finished (usually
very recently).
Diagrams for the Four Present Tenses
The infographics below show how each present tense is formed and a quick
overview of how each one is used:
Simple Present Tense
For example:
I play every Tuesday
Present Progressive Tense
For example:
I am playing at the moment.
Present Perfect Tense
For example:
I have played for his team before.
Present Perfect Progressive Tense
For example:
I have been playing for a year.
What Is the Past Tense? (with Examples)
The past tense describes a past event or a state of being. For example:
I jumped in the lake.
(past event)
I was happy.
(past state of being)
The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three
main tenses are:
past tense
present tense
future tense
Examples of the Types of Past Tenses
The past tense is categorized further depending on whether the action was in
progress or has been completed. The four past tenses are:
The 4 Past
Examples Uses
Tenses
I went.
simple past The simple past tense is used to
The Martians landed
tense describe a completed activity that
near the aqueduct.
started in the past and ended in
the past.
I was going. The past progressive tense is
past
He was painting the used to describe an on-going
progressive
door when a bird activity in the past. Often, it is used
tense
struck the window. to set the scene for another action.
I had gone.
The past perfect tense is used to
Silverfinger had
past perfect emphasize that an action was
taken the pill before
tense completed before another took
the team reached
place.
him.
I had been going.
She had been The past perfect progressive tense
past perfect
painting the door is used to show that an on-going
progressive
before the dog action in the past has ended.
scratched it.
Diagrams for the Four Past Tenses
The infographics below show how each past tense is formed and a quick
overview of how each one is used:
Simple Past Tense
For example:
I played when I was younger.
Past Progressive Tense
For example:
I was playing for an hour.
Past Perfect Tense
For example:
I had played already.
Past Perfect Progressive Tense
For example:
I had been playing since I was ten.
