Tense

In grammar, tense refers to the form of a verb

that indicates the time of an action or a state of
being. Tenses enable us to understand when an
action took place, whether it happened in the
past, is happening in the present, or will happen
in the future.

In English, there are three primary tenses:

1. Past Tense: Describes actions that have
already happened. For example, in the
sentence "She walked to the store,"
"walked" is in the past tense.

2. Present Tense: Describes actions that are

happening right now or general truths.
For example, in the sentence "He walks to
school," "walks" is in the present tense.

3. Future Tense: Describes actions that will

happen in the future. For example, in the
sentence "They will walk to the park," "will
walk" indicates a future action.

Tense

Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense

1. Present Indefinite 1. Past Indefinite 1. Future Indefinite

2. Present Continuous 2. Past Continuous 2. Future Continuous
3. Present Perfect 3. Past Perfect 3. Future Perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous 4. Past Perfect Continuous 4. Future Perfect Continuous

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 Present Indefinite/ Simple Present Tense

Structures and Examples:

1. Subject + Base Form of the Verb (V1) + Object/ Extension.
a. We help each other in difficult situations.
b. Every weekend, they play football in the park.

2. Subject + V1 + s/es + Object/ Extension.

a. He watches the sunrise every morning.
b. It rains heavily during the monsoon season.

3. Subject + do/ does/ do not/ does not + V1 + Object/ Extension.

a. Do they like spicy food?
b. Does she complete her homework every day?
c. We do not appreciate rude behaviour.
d. He does not understand the complex math.

4. Subject + do/ does/ have/ has/ am/ is/ are [as main verb, not as an
auxiliary verb] + Object/ Extension.
a. I do my homework every morning.
b. He does his chores regularly.
c. They have a beautiful garden.
d. He has a collection of rare coins.
e. I am an amazing reader.
f. This book is a masterpiece.
g. They are passionate about their work.

5. Subject + am/ is/ are + V3 [Passive Voice] + Object/ Extension.

a. She is admired by everyone.
b. They are helped by their parents.
c. I am guided by my teachers.

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 Past Indefinite/ Simple Past Tense

Structures and Examples:

1. Subject + Past Form of Main Verb (V2) + Object/ Extension.
a. She walked to school every day.
b. He cleaned his room before going out.
c. They went on a trip to the mountains.

2. Subject + did/ did not + V1 + Object/ Extension.

a. She did not visit the museum last weekend.
b. Did he finish the assignment on time?
c. Did they complete all the chores yesterday?

3. Subject + did/ was/ were/ had [as main verb, not as an auxiliary verb]
+ Object/ Extension.
a. He did his homework after school.
b. He was my best friend in high school.
c. We were in the beach last night.
d. I had a friend named Rakib.

Future Indefinite/ Simple Future Tense

Structures and Examples:

1. Subject + shall/ will + (V1) + Object/ Extension.
a. She will travel to Paris next month.
b. He shall not attend the meeting tomorrow.
c. Will he finish the work on time?

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 Present Continuous Tense
Structure and Examples:
1. Subject + am/ is/ are + V1 + ing + Object/ Extension.
a. She is reading a book.
b. We are having dinner at the restaurant tonight.
c. I am working on a new project.

Past Continuous Tense

Structure and Examples:
1. Subject + was/ were + V1 + ing + Object/ Extension.
a. They were playing football.
b. We were having dinner at 8 PM last night.
c. I was working on the assignment.

Future Continuous Tense

Structure and Examples:
1. Subject + shall be/ will be + V1 + ing + Object/ Extension.
a. I shall be studying for my exam tomorrow evening.
b. They will be traveling to Paris next week.
c. She shall not be working on Friday afternoon.
d. Will you be playing the game tonight?

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 Present Perfect Tense

Structure and Examples:

1. Subject + have/ has + V3 + Object/ Extension.
a. She has visited Paris several times.
b. They have finished their homework just now.
c. He hasn't eaten lunch yet.
d. Have you ever travelled to Asia?

Past Perfect Tense

Structure and Examples:

1. Subject + had + V3 + Object/ Extension.
a. I had completed my research paper.
b. They had visited all the famous landmarks in the city.

2. Past Perfect Tense + before + Past Indefinite Tense

a. They had left the school before the rain started.
b. He had read the entire book before the exam began.

3. Past Indefinite Tense + after + Past Perfect Tense

a. He went to bed after he had finished reading the novel.
b. They cleaned the house after the guests had left.

Future Perfect Tense

Structure and Examples:

1. Subject + shall have/ will have + V3 + Object/ Extension.
a. By the time we arrive, they shall have completed the project.
b. He will have graduated from college before he turns 25.
c. By next year, she will have travelled to all seven continents.

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 Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure and Examples:
1. Subject + have been / has been + V1 + ing + Object/ Extension + for/
since + time
a. She has been working as a nurse for five years.
b. They have been studying French since last summer.
c. I have been writing this novel since January.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure and Examples:
1. Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object/ Extension + for/ since + time
a. She had been studying for hours before the exam started.
b. They had been playing in the park since morning.
c. I had been waiting at the station for two hours before the train
arrived.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure and Examples:
1. Subject + shall have been/ will have been + V1 + ing + Object/ Extension
+ for/ since + time
a. By next month, she will have been working at the company for five
years.
b. By the end of this year, I will have been living in this city for ten
years.

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