A Verb tense indicates whether the action of a sentence occurred in the

Past, Present, or Future.

KEY POINTS

• In English, the three basic verb tenses are past, present, and future.
• Verbs in past tense express what happened in the past.
• Verbs in present tense express actions that are currently happening, or occur over a period of
time that includes the present.
• Verbs in future tense express actions that will happen in the future.
• All verbs have both tense and aspect. Because there are three verb tenses and four verb
aspects, there are twelve possible combinations of tense and aspect.

TERMS

• tense
Any of the forms of a verb that distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or
exists. The three simple tenses are past, present, and future.

• verb
A word that indicates an action, event, or state.

• aspect
A grammatical category that expresses how a verb relates to the flow of time.

Student’s stories
Read Jamira’s story

*Jamira's Story
My name is Jamira, and I’m studying psychology. I’m 37 years old, so I think I’m pretty
old to be a student, but there are lots of people my age who are studying the same
units as me. I’ve got three kids, I’m a single parent, and I go to work, so I don’t have a
lot of time. I decided to study through Open Universities because there was no way
that I could get to lectures. But one day, I was browsing the internet when I saw
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something about how you could study online and do your studies anytime of the day or
night, and work at your own pace, and I just thought, well, that’s for me!
Adapted from: http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/stories-1.php
Look at these sentences:

I’m studying psychology. There are lots of people my age who are Present
studying. Continuous

I go to work, so I don’t have a lot of time. Present

Simple

One day, I was browsing the internet… Past

Continuous

…when I saw something about how you could study online. Past Simple

Verb Tenses
The verb contains the action of the sentence. Without verbs, we couldn't talk about

running, or jumping, or eating. And without verb tenses, we couldn't talk about when

we did those things. Did we eat dinner yesterday? Will we go for a run tomorrow? We

need verb tenses to talk about time.

Present Tenses
Present Continuous

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 We use the present continuous when we talk about something that is happening at the
time of speaking:
• I am reading this file right now.

We also use the present continuous when we talk about something that is happening
around the time of speaking, but not necessarily exactly at the time of speaking:
• I’m studying psychology.

We often use the present continuous when we talk about a period around the present.
For example: today, this week, this season, etc.:
• It isn’t raining much this winter.

We use the present continuous when we talk about changing situations:

• There are lots of people my age who are studying online.

Present Continuous
Pronoun Verb Negative Gerund (verb + ing) Example
to be

I Am Speaking (speak + ING) I am speaking

She / He / It Is not Traveling (travel + ING) He / she / it is traveling (now.)
You / They / Are Are Listening (listen + ING) You / we / they are listening

Simple Present

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The simple present expresses current events, recurring events, and general facts.

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We use the simple present to talk about things in general, to say that something
happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general. It is not
important whether the action is happening at the time of speaking:

• Managers lead employees.

• I go to work, so I don’t have a lot of time.

We use the simple present when we say how often we do things:

• I get up at 8:00 every morning.

Simple Present
Pronouns Present Simple Present Simple Contraction
Affirmative Negative
I / you walk drink walk walk
we they stay do not drink don´t drink
stay stay

he walks drinks walk walk

she (*) does not drink doesn´t drink
it stays stay stay

Past Tenses
The past tense refers to events that have occurred in the past or an event that

occurred continually in the past. It can also be used when discussing hypothetical

situations.

Past Continuous

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 BY ROBBIEMUFFIN - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 3.0, HTTPS://COMMONS. WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=4058515

We use the past continuous to say that someone was in the middle of doing something
at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time but
hadn't finished:

• This time last year I was living on an island.

The past continuous does not tell us whether an action was finished or not:

• One day, I was browsing the internet…

We often use the past continuous (I was doing) and the simple past (I did) together to
say that something happened in the middle of something else:

• But one day, I was browsing the internet when I saw something about how you
could study online

Past Continuous
Pronoun Verb Negative Gerund (verb + ING) Example
to be

I was speaking (speak + ING) I was speaking

was not traveling (travel + ING)
She/He/It He / she / it was traveling
were listening (listen + ING)
You/They/We You / we / they were listening

Simple Past

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We use the Simple Past to say when something happened:

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 • The mother took her son to the beach every day last summer.

We use the Simple Past for actions that are completed or finished:

• I decided to study through Open Universities because there was no way

that I could get to lectures.

Simple Past
Base Past Negative Contraction Examples
Pronouns Simple
I walk walked DID NOT DIDN’T I walked to work yesterday.
She/He/It stay stayed
You drink drank* She didn’t stay at a hotel last summer.
We go went*
They have had * Did they go on vacation?
Yes, they did. They went to Hawaii.
1Irregular Verbs

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References:
• Murphy, R. (1998). Grammar in Use - Reference and Practice for Intermediate
Students of English. Cambridge, Reino Unido: Cambridge University Press.
Units: 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12
• http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/stories.php
• Images:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Robbiemuffin/Using_English_Grammar_Grap
hics#Past_Continuous