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- Category: Basic English Tenses
The English Tense System
The below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic English tenses. For each tense we look at:
- Structure: How do we make the tense?
- Use: When and why do we use the tense?
Some lessons look at additional matters, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.
Present Simple
Example: I do, I do do
The Present Simple tense is the most basic tense in English and uses the base form of the verb (except for the verb be). The only change from the base is the addition of s for third person singular.
How do we make the Present Simple tense?
There are two basic structures for the Present Simple:
1. Positive sentences
subject | + | main verb |
Present Simple |
2. Negative and question sentences
subject | + | auxiliary do | + | main verb |
conjugated in Present Simple | ||||
do, does | base |
Look at these examples with the main verb like:
subject | auxiliary verb | main verb | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
+ | I, you, we, they | like | coffee. | ||
He, she, it | likes | coffee. | |||
- | I, you, we, they | do | not | like | coffee. |
He, she, it | does | not | like | coffee. | |
? | Do | I, you, we, they | like | coffee? | |
Does | he, she, it | like | coffee? |
From the above table, notice the following points...
For positive sentences:
- There is no auxiliary verb.
- We conjugate the main verb by adding s to the third person singular.
For negative and question sentences:
- The auxiliary verb (do) is conjugated in the Present Simple: do, does
- The main verb is invariable in base form: base
- For negative sentences, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.
- For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.
Present Continuous:
Present Continuous tense(also called Present Progressive)
We often use the Present Continuous tense in English. It is very different from the Present Simple tense, both in structure and in use.
Example: I am doing
How do we make the Present Continuous tense?
The structure of the Present Continuous tense is:
subject | + | auxiliary be | + | main verb |
conjugated in Present Simple | ||||
am, are, is | present participle (-ing) |
The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Present Simple: am, are, is
The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing
For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.
Look at these example sentences with the Present Continuous tense:
Present Perfect
Present Continuous
The Present Perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact, the structure of the Present Perfect is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense. In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English.
In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Present Perfect tense, as well as the use of for and since, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
Example: I have done
Present Perfect Continuous
The Present Perfect Continuous uses two auxiliary verbs together with a main verb.
In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, as well as the use of for and since, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
Example: I have been doing
Past Simple
The Past Simple tense is sometimes called the "preterite tense". We can use several tenses and forms to talk about the past, but the Past Simple tense is the one we use most often.
Example: I did, I did do
Past Continuous
The Past Continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.
Example: I was doing
Past Perfect
The Past Perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and to use. This tense talks about the "past in the past".
Example: I had done
Past Perfect Continuous
The Past Perfect Continuous is another tense that expresses the "past in the past".
Example: I had been doing
Future Simple
The Future Simple tense is often called the "will tense" because we make the Future Simple with the modal auxiliary will.
Example: I will do
Future Continuous
The Future Continuous tense is often used in English as a way to talk about something happening at a given point in the future.
Example: I will be doing
Future Perfect
The Future Perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The Future Perfect talks about the past in the future.
How do we make the Future Perfect tense?
The structure of the Future Perfect tense is:
subject | + | auxiliary verb WILL | + | auxiliary verb HAVE | + | main verb |
invariable | invariable | past participle | ||||
will | have | V3 |
Look at these example sentences in the Future Perfect tense:
subject | auxiliary verb | auxiliary verb | main verb | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+ | I | will | have | finished | by 10am. | |
+ | You | will | have | forgotten | me by then. | |
- | She | will | not | have | gone | to school. |
- | We | will | not | have | left. | |
? | Will | you | have | arrived? | ||
? | Will | they | have | received | it? |
Contraction with Future Perfect
In speaking with the Future Perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes, we may contract the subject, will and have all together:
I will have | I'll have | I'll've |
you will have | you'll have | you'll've |
he will have she will have it will have |
he'll have she'll have it'll have |
he'll've she'll've it'll've |
we will have | we'll have | we'll've |
they will have | they'll have | they'll've |
- I'll have finished when you arrive.
- She'll have forgotten everything.
- They'll've had their dinner by then.
In negative sentences, we may contract with won't or won't've, like this:
- Anthony won't have arrived by then.
- They won't've finished the car tomorrow.
Example:I will have done
Future Perfect Continuous
The Future Perfect Continuous tense looks at the past from the future.
How do we make the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?
The structure of the Future Perfect Continuous tense is:
subject | + | auxiliary will | + | auxiliary have | + | auxiliary be | + | main verb |
invariable | invariable | past participle | present participle | |||||
will | have | been | base + ing |
For negative sentences in the Future Perfect Continuous tense, we insert not between will and have. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the Future Perfect Continuous:
subject | auxiliary verb | auxiliary verb | auxiliary verb | main verb | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+ | I | will | have | been | working | for four hours. | |
+ | You | will | have | been | travelling | for two days. | |
- | She | will | not | have | been | using | the car. |
- | We | will | not | have | been | waiting | long. |
? | Will | you | have | been | playing | football? | |
? | Will | they | have | been | watching | TV? |
Example: I will have been doing
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