Past Tense, Present Tense, and Future Tense
Verb tenses indicate when an action or event occurs. The past tense describes actions that have already happened, the present tense conveys actions happening now, and the future tense refers to actions that will happen.
The Past Tense: Talking About What Happened
The past tense describes actions or events that have already occurred. Use it when discussing something that happened in the past.
Forming the Past Tense: Regular verbs form the past tense by adding "-ed" to the base form (e.g., "talk" becomes "talked"). Irregular verbs, however, have unique forms (e.g., "go" becomes "went").
Examples in Sentences:
She walked to the store.
They played soccer yesterday.
He wrote a letter.
We saw a movie last night.
She bought a new dress.
Common Mistakes:
Incorrectly forming irregular verbs (e.g., "goed" instead of "went").
Using the past tense where the past perfect tense is required (e.g., "He had went" instead of "He had gone").
Practice Exercises:
Convert the following sentences to the past tense:
I eat breakfast at 7 am.
They go to the gym every day.
She writes a report.
Identify the correct past tense form:
They (go/went) to the beach last weekend.
She (buy/bought) a new car yesterday.
The Present Tense: Describing What is Happening Now
The present tense describes actions or events that are currently happening. It is used for habitual actions, general truths, and ongoing events.
Simple Present vs. Present Continuous: The simple present tense indicates regular actions or general truths (e.g., "He eats breakfast at 7 am").
The present continuous tense describes ongoing actions happening right now (e.g., "He is eating breakfast").
Examples in Sentences:
She reads every morning.
They work at the bank.
He is studying for his exams.
We are watching a documentary.
The sun rises in the east.
Common Mistakes:
Confusing simple present with present continuous (e.g., "He eats breakfast right now" instead of "He is eating breakfast right now").
Using present tense incorrectly with future events (e.g., "I go to the store tomorrow" instead of "I am going to the store tomorrow").
Practice Exercises:
Convert the following sentences to the present continuous tense:
She walks to school.
They play tennis.
He reads a book.
Identify the correct present tense form:
She (read/reads) every night.
We (are watching/watches) a movie.
The Future Tense: Expressing What Will Happen
The future tense is used to describe actions or events that will happen. It indicates something that has not yet occurred but is expected to.
Ways to Form the Future Tense: Use "will" (e.g., "I will travel to Paris"), "going to" (e.g., "She is going to start a new job"), or the present continuous tense for planned events (e.g., "We are meeting them tomorrow").
Examples in Sentences:
She will call you later.
They are going to visit the museum.
He is starting a new course next week.
We will discuss this in the meeting.
The project will be completed by Friday.
Common Mistakes:
Mixing future tense forms incorrectly (e.g., "I will going to start" instead of "I am going to start").
Using present tense where future tense is required (e.g., "She goes to the store tomorrow" instead of "She will go to the store tomorrow").
Practice Exercises:
Convert the following sentences to the future tense:
I travel to London.
They start their new job.
She calls her friend.
Identify the correct future tense form:
He (will/going to) buy a new house.
We (are going to/will) start the project next week.