Tenses

TENSES : MEANING
Tenses are the form taken by a verb to show the time of an
action or the state of an event.

There are three tenses :

The Present Tense
The Past Tense
The Future Tense.
o The Indefinite Tense does not indicate whether the action
is complete or not.

o The Continuous (Imperfect) Tense that the action is still

going on.

o The Perfect Tense indicates that the action is complete ,

finished or perfect.

o The Perfect Continuous Tense indicates that the action

began in the past and is still continuing.
 Table Of English Tenses

Tense Indefinite Continuou Perfect Perfect

s Continuous
Present Play (s) Is / Am / Are Has / Has / Have
Playing Have been Playing
Played
Past Played Was / Were Had Had been
Playing Played Playing
Future Will / Shall Will / Shall Will / Will / Shall
Play be Playing Shall have been
Have Playing
Played
Simple Present: In Simple Words

We use simple present tense for all that is fixed, happens

regularly, remains unchanged.
Simple Present
✔ Talking about a truth in the present:
Eg: I am 18 years old.
✔ Referring to facts:
Eg: The sun rises in the east.
✔ Habitual actions
Eg: Do you play the piano?, Yes, I do.
✔ Events/ plans fixed for some future time.
Eg: The train departs at 5:15 PM on Sunday.
Simple Present
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : They play.

⚫ Negative Sentences : They do not play.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Do they play ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Do they not play ?

Present Continuous

We use the present continuous tense to talk about something

that is happening right now; or is growing; and for
something that is temporary.
Present Continuous
✔ Something that is happening at the moment of
speaking. Eg: Birds are chirping
✔ Something that is growing
Eg: Your English is improving.
✔ Something that is temporary
Eg: I am living in Belgaum now.
Present Continuous
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : You are playing.

⚫ Negative Sentences : You are not playing.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Are you playing ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Are you not playing ?

Present Perfect

We use Present Perfect for something that has a present

reference, though started in the past; and to tell our
experiences only up to the current time.
Present Perfect
✔ Something that happened in the past but affects the
present:
Eg: I can’t open the lock as I have lost my keys.
✔ Experience up to the current time:
Eg: This is the best gift I have ever received.
✔ Something that began in the past but continues in the
present:
Eg: She has lived in Amsterdam for all her life.
Present Perfect
The difference between been and gone:
✔ She has gone to Stratford (it means she has not
returned yet)
✔ I have been to Hampshire. (it means I have returned
from there now).
Present Perfect
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : I have played.

⚫ Negative Sentences : I have not played.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Have I played ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Have I not played ?

Present Perfect Continuous
✔ To talk about something that began in the past and
continues in the present.
Eg: I’ve been watching that programme since it
started.
✔ For a repeated action
Eg: I have been calling her for an hour now.
Present Perfect Continuous
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : We have been playing.
⚫ Negative Sentences : We have not been playing.
⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Have we been playing ?
⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Have we not been
playing ?
Simple Past: In Simple Words

We use simple past tense to talk about the past,

hypothetical things, and for politeness.
Simple Past
✔ To talk about actions completed in the past:
Eg: He worked in a Pune Firm before joining
here.
✔ Hypothetical (dream-like) things:
Eg: If I were you…..
✔ Politeness:
Eg: I wondered if you could help me.
Simple Past
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : I played.

⚫ Negative Sentences : I did not play.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Did I play ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Did I not played ?

Past Continuous

We use the present continuous tense to talk about something

that was happening continuously in the past; or was
growing; and for something that was temporary.
Past Continuous
✔ Something that was happening at the moment of
speaking. Eg: Birds were chirping
✔ Something that was growing
Eg: Your English was improving.
✔ Something that was temporary
Eg: I was living in Belgaum then.
Past Continuous
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : Boys were playing.

⚫ Negative Sentences : Boys were not playing.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Were boys playing ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Were boys not playing

?
Past Perfect
We use the past perfect or something that started in the past
and continued up to a given time in the past

Eg. I had had my breakfast already.

Consider the following sentence

‘All the faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of
his life.’
Past Perfect
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : Sheila had played.

⚫ Negative Sentences : Sheila had not played.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Had Sheila played?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Had Sheila not played

?
Past Perfect Continuous
We use the past perfect tense for something that started in
the past and continued up to a given time in the past

Eg: When he saw them last, the couple had been married for
40 years.
Past Perfect Continuous
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : Ria had been playing.

⚫ Negative Sentences : Ria had not been playing.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Had Ria been playing?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Had Ria not been

playing ?
Talking about Future
Futurity includes things planned for future; predictions, or
willingness.
Talking about Future
✔ We use the present simple for something that is
scheduled (fixed to happen).
Eg: The meeting is tomorrow at 3PM.
✔ Use present continuous for plans or arrangements:
Eg: They are coming on the next Saturday.
✔ We use will to talk about the future
Eg: You will be the best, don’t worry.
✔ To make offers and promises: Eg: We’ll surely send you
an email by this evening.
✔ We can use the future continuous instead of the present
continuous or going to for emphasis: They will be meeting
us at the conference.
 SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
⚫ Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object.

⚫ The simple future tense is used for an action that will take
place at particular time in the future.
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : Ravi will play.

⚫ Negative Sentences : Ravi will not play.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Will Ravi play ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Will Ravi not play ?

FUTURE CONTINUOS TENSE
⚫ Subject + will/shall + be +V1 + ing + Object

⚫ The future continuous tense is used to express an action

which will be in progress at a particular time in the future.
FUTURE CONTINUOS TENSE
⚫ Affirmative sentences : I will be playing.

⚫ Negative sentences : I will not be playing.

⚫ Interrogative sentences : Shall I be playing?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Shall I not be playing?

 Future perfect tense
⚫ Subject + shall/will + have + V3 + Object.

⚫ Future perfect tense is used to indicate the completion of

an action by a certain period of time in the future.
Future perfect tense
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : She will have played.

⚫ Negative Sentences : She will not have played.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Will she have played?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Will she not have

played?
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
TENSE
⚫ Subject + shall/will +have been + V1 + ing + Object.

⚫ The future perfect tense is used when an action is to

continue up to a certain point of time in the future.
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
TENSE
⚫ Affirmative Sentences : Raj will have been playing.

⚫ Negative Sentences : Raj will not have been playing.

⚫ Interrogative Sentences : Will Raj have been playing ?

⚫ Negative Interrogative Sentences : Will Raj not have been

playing ?
Modals to denote futurity
✔ We use modals may, might, and could when we are not
sure about the future
Eg: I might go to the cinema tonight.
✔ We can use should if we think something is likely to be
or happen:
Eg: He should be there at home, let’s go.