Knowing Tenses: The Present, The Past, The Future

In the process of learning English, the most crucial concept that needs to be remembered is that of the tenses. Tenses help us understand when a certain action is conducted, be it in the present, in the past or in the future. Grasping tenses enhances clear and precise communication. The English language consists of three core tenses that are: Present, Past, Future. However there are different forms of each of these tenses, depending on the time period in which the action occurs.


1. Present Tense

The Present tense is used to discuss actions currently happening or certain situations that regularly happen and are ongoing. It can also be used to make a point about a certain phenomenon.

Present Simple

We employ the present simple to reflect on our daily lives, including what we do every day or what is generally true. The most rudimentary type of the present tense.

  • Used for regular activities or routines.
  • A set of words that can be used alongside the tense include always, often, never and sometimes for example.
  • Structure: Subject + base verb (he/she/it adds –s or –es).

This is the tense generally applied for actions that do not change over time for example, habitual actions or facts. For example, "The sun rises in the east."

Present Continuous

The Present Continuous is also called Present Progressive and it is employed when describing actions that are taking place at the present time or some time in the current vicinity.

  • For new actions or processes that are going on but not permanently.
  • It is stressing something that at this point in time, that something is occurring.
  • Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb + -ing.

This tense expresses the time of an action in which something was done, and that time really is the focus of such phrases." For example, "I am reading a book right now."

Present Perfect

This aspect has its centre in the present, so everything connected with the action describes an event in context from some moment in the past. It is used when telling about an action whose beginning is in the past and whose relevance touches point in time in the present.

  • Generally has with them already, yet, just, ever, never, etc.
  • Structure: Subject + have/has + Third form of the verb.

This tense is about experiences or done actions which has relation with the present time. For example, "She has visited Paris."

Present Perfect Continuous

This aspect emphasises on the actions which commenced at a certain time in the past and which still have impact in the present time.

  • In this tense, the attention is focused on how long the activity does in its performance.
  • Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb in present participle.

For instance, "They have been working here for the past three years." The circumstance originated in the past and still exists at the present time.

2. Past Tense.

The Past Tense is used for the statements or actions that took place at any point in time before the present instance. Use it to give information regarding events that have been completed.

Past Simple.

The Past Simple describes actions that took place in the past, and both started and ended at a certain particular time.

  • Collections of details for most of the past, sometimes together with expressions of time such as yesterday, last week or in 1995.
  • Structure: Subject + verb in the second form (for regular verbs the ending -ed; irregular verbs: there are several forms).

Ordinary language is used for telling past events in a sequence, "He went to school by foot." It was finished in the past.

Past continuous.

In the recurring circumstances where one occurrence is being recounted within another, the past continuously creates a distinction for the duration of an action that occurred around a specific point in time within the past.

  • It is quite common for this to be done together with whilst or used to shift between two separate and coinciding events.

Active Form Passive Form In passive construction, the patient is the focus of the sentence and the agent is emphasised. All sentences must include a subject and verb. How the subject of the action comes across in the sentence is what passive construction is.

The passive construction is useful for drawing attention to the act rather than the doer of the act. Passive voice construction is fundamentally diverse but may use the following model:.

"Do not disturb" could be an example. In all tenses other than the future tense, it has the possibility of being voiced. An example would be, "Do you know that Lava is considered to be the hottest substance on the Earth?".

Also, in terms of supported synchronous translation models, any Passive voice sentence must have an unmarked structure.


Future Tense

The Future Tense is used to talk about actions or events that have not occurred yet, but will take place at some point in the future.

Simple Future

  • The words will or shall are often colloquially attached to this form of the verb.
  • Structure: Subject + will + base form of the verb.

This tense is useful for… Our English classes will be able to say that it is useful to talk about the future, for instance saying, "I will travel to Japan next year."

Future Continuous

The Future Continuous includes actions or events that will be in progress or will have begun before a certain point in time in the future and that are often pre-scheduled. It has no actions of its own, being only a grammatical tool that allows for the description of certain things.

  • Structure: Subject + will be + verb + -ing.

This tense provides a feeling of an ongoing future action, for instance – tomorrow at this time, I shall be flying to New York.

Future Perfect

Future Perfect covers the changes and actions that contain finished integration. The integration will be done by a certain date or a limited period.

  • Structure: Subject + will have + past participle of the verb.

Such a form is used when some changes will be completed by a certain time, for instance "By next week I will have finished my project."

Future Perfect Continuous

This tense denotes actions or tasks, the completion of which will last for an extensive amount of time from the present till a specific point in time in the future.

  • Structure: Subject + will have been + verb + –ing.

Let's take this example, "By next June, I will have been studying English for three years."

Aspect of Tenses

Grasping the aspect of tenses makes it easier to know the duration and nature of an activity. There are four aspects in English tenses:

  • Simple: A single or isolated act or completed task.
  • Continuous: Activities in action or progressing in timeframe.
  • Perfect: An activity that is performed and is done by a specific set timeframe.
  • Perfect Continuous: An activity that has begun and has not stopped ongoing but must be completed at a particular time.

With each of the three tenses (present, past, and future), respond to one of these four aspects for a more detailed time and action description. The aspect is selected on the basis of what the speaker wants to highlight further whether it is the action's completion or action's duration.