3-3 Verb Tenses Explained
Key Concepts
- Present Tense
- Past Tense
- Future Tense
Present Tense
The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening now, habitual actions, or general truths. It can be divided into three forms: simple present, present continuous, and present perfect.
Simple Present: Actions that occur regularly or are true at all times.
Example: She reads books every evening.
Present Continuous: Actions that are happening at the moment of speaking.
Example: They are playing soccer right now.
Present Perfect: Actions that started in the past and continue to the present or actions that have just been completed.
Example: I have finished my homework.
Past Tense
The past tense is used to describe actions that happened before the present time. It can be divided into three forms: simple past, past continuous, and past perfect.
Simple Past: Actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
Example: He went to the store yesterday.
Past Continuous: Actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past.
Example: While I was studying, my friend called.
Past Perfect: Actions that were completed before another action in the past.
Example: She had left before I arrived.
Future Tense
The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen after the present time. It can be divided into three forms: simple future, future continuous, and future perfect.
Simple Future: Actions that will happen at a specific time in the future.
Example: We will visit our grandparents next week.
Future Continuous: Actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future.
Example: At 8 PM tomorrow, I will be watching a movie.
Future Perfect: Actions that will be completed before another action in the future.
Example: By the time you arrive, I will have finished cooking.
Examples and Analogies
Think of the present tense as the "now" moment, the past tense as the "already happened" moments, and the future tense as the "yet to happen" moments. Just as a timeline has different points in time, verb tenses help us place actions in their correct time frames.
Another analogy is to think of verb tenses as different stages in a story. The present tense is like the current chapter, the past tense is like the chapters that have already been read, and the future tense is like the chapters that are yet to be read.