3-4 Verb Tenses
Key Concepts
- Present Tense
- Past Tense
- Future Tense
- Present Perfect Tense
Present Tense
The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening now, habits, or general truths. Verbs in the present tense usually do not change, except for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it), which add an "s" or "es" at the end.
Example:
- I play soccer every Saturday.
- She plays the piano beautifully.
Past Tense
The past tense is used to describe actions that happened before now. Most verbs change by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form. Irregular verbs have unique past tense forms.
Example:
- I walked to school yesterday.
- She ate breakfast early.
Future Tense
The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen after now. It is formed by using "will" followed by the base form of the verb.
Example:
- I will play soccer tomorrow.
- She will visit her grandparents next week.
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that started in the past and continue to the present, or actions that have been completed at an unspecified time before now. It is formed by using "has" or "have" followed by the past participle of the verb.
Example:
- I have played soccer since I was five.
- She has visited her grandparents many times.
Examples and Analogies
Think of the present tense as a clock showing the current time. It tells us what is happening right now. For example, "I play" means I am playing at this moment.
The past tense is like looking at old photos. It shows us what happened before. For example, "I walked" means I walked in the past.
The future tense is like planning a trip. It tells us what will happen later. For example, "I will play" means I will play in the future.
The present perfect tense is like a story that continues. It shows us what has been happening up to now. For example, "I have played" means I have been playing for a while.