Time can be split into three main tenses: present, future and past. Everything that happens occurs in one of these three timeframes. The present is what you are doing, the past is what you have done and the future is what you will do. The verb is changed or conjugated to express what tense you are speaking in. Additionally, there are variations on each tense, creating a total of12 tenses, four variations each for present, past and future.
Start with the present tense, the most common. The most basic form of the present tense is Present Simple, used to express facts, habits and a permanent situation. An example is: The earth goes around the sun. Another is: I live in Miami.
Next move to the Present Continuous. We use the Present Continuous when talking about actions that are happening at the moment, such as: Alex is cooking dinner. Next there is the Present Perfect. The Present Perfect is used to express actions that happened at an indefinite time or that began in the past and continue in the present. Example: I've eaten 10 apples today! Finally there is the Present Perfect Continuous. The Present Perfect Continuous is used to express actions that started in the past and continue in the present. An example is: What have you been doing?
Now you can move to the Past Tense, of which there are four forms as well. First is the Past Continuous, used to talk about past actions in progress, such as: when I was jogging, someone stopped me and asked what time it was. There is also the Past Perfect, used to show that one action in the past occurred before another action in the past. An example is: My son Julius had never seen a camel before we went together to the zoo in summer 1990.
Now you can move to the past tense, of which there are four forms as well. First is the Past Continuous, used to talk about past actions in progress, such as: when I was jogging, someone stopped me and asked what time it was. There is also the Past Perfect, used to show that one action in the past occurred before another action in the past. An example is: My friend had laughed at me before I finished the joke.
Now you can move to the future tenses. Start with the Future Simple, the most common tense in the future. This is used in many situations such as when making promises or predictions An example is: I will come back at 10 p.m. Next go to Future Continuous, used to indicate what we will be in the middle of doing something in a specified time in the future. An example is: Tomorrow at nine, I will be hosing off.
Next there is the Future Perfect, used to express an action that will be finished before some point in the future. An example is: I will have retired by the end of the year. The last form is the Future Perfect Continuous, used to express actions that will be happening at a definite moment in the future. An example of this is: By tomorrow I will have been saving money for a new house for 4 years.
Remember to use the concept of a timeline to help place the tenses where they belong. Imagine the past on the far left, the present in the middle and the future on the far right. Sometimes overlap and use multiple areas of the timeline, but the use of it will show where in time the tenses fall.
Remember to use the concept of a timeline to help place the tenses where they belong. Imagine the past on the far left, the present in the middle and the future on the far right. Sometimes overlap and use multiple areas of the timeline, but the use of it will show where in time the tenses fall.