What are Tenses?
Tense is something that tells us when the action expressed by the verb took place. There are three main divisions of tenses.
- Past Tense: The past tense is used to talk about actions which took place in the past.
- Manjula studied in this school.
- Gretel was cleaning her house.
- Raman had perfected the art of hospitality.
- Harsh had been touring the country this time last year.
Present Tense: The present tense is used to talk about actions which take place in the present.
- Sarita lives with her parents.
- Yamini is preparing dinner for her family.
- have finished my work.
- The company has been functioning well.
Future Tense: The future tense is used to talk about actions which will take place in the future.
- Geeta will return the book.
- shall be travelling to Munich.
- Rajat will have completed his chores in some time.
- Beena will have been working with us for ten years.
Present Tense
The present tense can be divided into four categories:
- Simple
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect continuous
Simple Present Tense
Examples of sentences in the simple present tense:
Habitual action
- I exercise every day.
- Mala visits her mother on Tuesdays.
Ability
- Manish plays the flute. Rishi can drive cars.
- We leave tonight.
Events of the near future
- They move to their new apartment this week.
- Mr Prasad is the CEO of this company.
Facts
- Man is a social animal.
Non-factual beliefs
- The pen is mightier than the sword.
- I trust you more than I trust myself.
Present Continuous Tense
- The present continuous tense is used to express actions which are currently in progress.
- Progressive helping verbs (is, am, are) are used along with the „-ing‟ form of the verb.
Helping Verbs | Main Verb (-ing form) |
is | working |
are | packing |
Examples of sentences in the present continuous tense:
Progressive actions | The children are camping by the riverside. Mother is writing a letter. |
Near future | Harsha is meeting my family tomorrow. The CEO is leaving tonight. |
Present Perfect Tense
- The present perfect tense is used to express an action which may have happened at a specific time before now.
- Perfect helping verbs (has, have) are used with the past participle form of the verb.
Helping Verbs | Main Verb (Past Participle) |
has | frozen |
have | moved |
The present perfect tense is never used when the time or date of the action is mentioned.
- Frieda has visited us in 1999. Incorrect
- Frieda visited us in 1999. Correct
Examples of sentences in the present perfect tense:
Recently completed action
- Bob has released the birds from their cage.
- The train has halted at the station.
When the time of completion is unspecified
- This has happened before.
- Jennifer has met you once.
A past action that is still in continuation
- We have believed every word you said.
- Meera has always used the best cosmetics.
- The despot has led the country to ruins.
Changes that have happened over time
- Pooja has turned into a high-flying socialite.
- Manoj has eaten the last biscuit on the plate.
When the consequences are more important than the action itself
- The rebels have ended the rule of the autocratic king.
- I have learnt how to speak in Mandarin.
A past action whose benefits can be felt to this day
- Ratna has set up an automatic burglar alarm.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The present perfect continuous tense is used to express an action which may have happened in the past and has continued up to this very moment.
It is formed out of the addition of perfect helping verbs (has, have) to the participle form of
progressive helping verbs (been) and finally to the „-ing‟ form of the main verb.
Helping Verb (Perfect) | Helping Verb (Participle) | Main Verb (-ing) |
has | been | speaking |
have | been | playing |
Examples of sentences in the present perfect tense:
Actions of the past which continue to the present moment |
Lionel has been writing his assignment since 6 o‟clock. Meera has been waiting for you at the reception. |
Points to remember
The words „for‟ and „since‟ are used with the present perfect continuous tense to indicate the duration of the action.
Use „for‟ to talk about the duration of the action.
- The Principal has been lecturing us for one hour.
- It has been pouring for four hours.
Use „since‟ to indicate when the action began.
- Ram Singh has been working in this company since 1980.
- Both the men have been toiling in the field since morning.
Past Tense
The past tense can be divided into four categories:
- Simple
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect continuous
Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to express an action which was completed at one point of time in the past.
Completed actions | I appeared for the interview yesterday. Meera paid her bills. |
Habitual actions of the past | Usha taught at a college nearby. The princes practiced archery by the river. |
Past facts or generalizations | Queen Cleopatra was married to Julius Caesar. We lived only on bread and water. |
Past Continuous Tense
- The past continuous tense is used to express actions which were in progression at one point of time in the past.
- It is formed when progressive helping verbs (was, were) are added to the „-ing‟ form of the main verb.
Helping Verb | Main Verb (-ing) |
was | having |
were | thinking |
Continuing actions of the past | Gerald was painting on a huge canvas. Sangeeta was talking in her sleep. |
To mention the action of longer | The bomb was ticking as they spoke. |
duration while comparing two actions | Lalith was sleeping when he heard the alarm bell. |
To talk about a progressive action | The mice were following the Pied Piper. |
in a narrative | The queen was listening to the minstrel‟s songs. |
Past Perfect Tense
- The past perfect tense is used to express an action which may have happened at a specific time before another action began in the past.
- The perfect helping verb „had‟ is used with the past participle form of the verb.
Helping Verbs | Main Verb (Past Participle) |
had | begun |
had | insisted |
The past perfect tense is never used when the time or date of the action is mentioned.
- Kirk had graduated in 2007. Incorrect
- Kirk graduated in 2007. Correct
Action completed in the past before | Mahesh had just finished his homework when Ram |
another action began | came calling. |
To change from direct speech to | Gregory said, “I spend all my money.” |
reported speech | Gregory stated that he had spent all his money. |
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The past perfect continuous tense is used to express an action which may have started at a particular point of time in the past and may have ended at another point of time in the past.
It is formed out of the addition of the perfect helping verb had to the participle form of the progressive helping verb been and finally to the „-ing‟ form of the main verb.
Helping Verb | Helping Verb (Participle) | Main Verb (-ing) |
had | been | sleeping |
had | been | talking |
Examples of sentences in the past perfect continuous tense:
An action that may have started and | Krishna had been talking to himself in a stupor. |
may have gone on for a while in the past | William had been sleeping during the lecture. |
Future Tense
The future tense can be divided into four categories:
- Simple
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect continuous
Simple Future
The simple future tense is formed by adding the modal auxiliaries „will‟, „would‟, „may‟, „shall‟ and „might‟ to the simple present tense of the main verb.
Modal Auxiliary | Main Verb |
will | leave |
would | come |
may | stay |
shall | bring |
might | rain |
Events of the future
- The lunch will be ready in 10 minutes.
- Dr Paranjpe will preside over the meeting.
Consequences of present actions
- You will regret if you are hasty.
- Children would get the wrong message.
Expressing promise or a plan
- I will travel to Ireland someday.
- Prince Dhruva will be the heir to the throne.
Future facts or habitual actions
- Our child will study in this school.
- Nagma will report the matter to me.
Future Continuous Tense
The future continuous tense is formed by adding the modal auxiliaries „will‟ or „would‟ and the
progressive helping verb „be‟ to the „-ing‟ form of the main verb.
Modal Auxiliary | Progressive Helping Verb | Main Verb |
will | be | going |
would | be | breaking |
Examples of sentences in the future continuous tense:
Future events which will be in continuation | Future events or plans |
Rita will be traveling to Mumbai at this time tomorrow. George would be listening to music at night. | I will be studying in the National Institute of Technology. Falguni and I will be accompanying Sheetal to her house. |
Future Perfect Tense
The future continuous tense is formed by adding the modal auxiliaries „will‟ or „would‟ and the perfect helping verb „have’ to the participle form of the main verb.
Modal Auxiliary | Perfect Helping Verb | Participle Form of Main Verb |
will | have | eaten |
would | have | taken |
Future events which will be completed on or by a particular time |
Manish will have cleaned the room by the time we return. The authorities will have arrested him by daybreak. |
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
The future perfect continuous tense is formed by the addition of the modal auxiliaries will or would; perfect helping verb have; the past participle form of progressive helping verbs (been); and the present participle (-ing) form of the main verb.
Modal Auxiliary | Perfect Helping Verb | Helping Verb (Past Participle) | Main Verb (Present Participle) |
will | have | been | talking |
would | have | been | sleeping |
Examples of sentences in the future perfect continuous tense:
A cause for something in the future |
Jatin will have left as he will have been waiting for two hours by then. Anuja will have slept as she will have been awake for two hours. |