Tense
Tense shows the time of an action or event. It indicates whether the action is in the past, present, or future.
Types of Tenses
There are three main tenses:
- Present Tense
- Past Tense
- Future Tense
Each tense has four aspects:
- Simple
- Continuous (Progressive)
- Perfect
- Perfect Continuous
Summary Table of All Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Subject + V1 (+s/es) | She writes a letter. |
| Present Continuous | Subject + is/am/are + V1+ing | She is writing a letter. |
| Present Perfect | Subject + has/have + V3 | She has written a letter. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Subject + has/have been + V1+ing | She has been writing a letter. |
| Past Simple | Subject + V2 | She wrote a letter. |
| Past Continuous | Subject + was/were + V1+ing | She was writing a letter. |
| Past Perfect | Subject + had + V3 | She had written a letter. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Subject + had been + V1+ing | She had been writing a letter. |
| Future Simple | Subject + will + V1 | She will write a letter. |
| Future Continuous | Subject + will be + V1+ing | She will be writing a letter. |
| Future Perfect | Subject + will have + V3 | She will have written a letter. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Subject + will have been + V1+ing | She will have been writing a letter. |
Tips to Remember
- V1: base form (go, eat, write)
- V2: past form (went, ate, wrote)
- V3: past participle (gone, eaten, written)
Practice Sentences
- I study every day. (Present Simple)
- She was sleeping at 10 p.m. (Past Continuous)
- They will have arrived by noon. (Future Perfect)
- He has been working all morning. (Present Perfect Continuous)