English Grammar: Present Simple and Present Continuous

Present Simple

• Used to talk about:
  • Habits and routines
  • General truths
  • Fixed schedules
• Form: Base form of the verb (e.g. I go, you go, he/she/it goes, we go, they go)
• Examples:
  • I wake up at 7:00 am every day.
  • The sun rises in the east.
  • The bus leaves at 8:00 am.

Present Continuous

• Used to talk about:
  • Actions happening at the moment of speaking
  • Temporary or changing situations
  • Trends and developments
• Form: am/is/are + present participle (e.g. I am writing, you are reading, he/she/it is studying)
• Examples:
  • I am studying for my exam right now.
  • The company is expanding its business.
  • The weather is getting warmer.

Past Simple

• Used to talk about:
  • Completed actions in the past
  • Specific times and dates in the past
  • Past habits and routines
• Form: Verb in the past tense (e.g. I went, you went, he/she/it went, we went, they went)
• Examples:
  • I went to the movies last night.
  • The Romans built the Colosseum.
  • I used to smoke, but I quit.

Future Perfect

• Used to talk about:
  • Actions that will be completed at a specific point in the future
  • The consequences of an action that will be completed in the future
• Form: will have + past participle (e.g. I will have finished, you will have learned)
• Examples:
  • I will have finished my degree by next year.
  • By 2025, they will have built the new skyscraper.

Past Perfect

• Used to talk about:
  • Actions that happened before another action in the past
  • The cause of an action in the past
• Form: had + past participle (e.g. I had eaten, you had studied)
• Examples:
  • I had eaten breakfast before I went to school.
  • By the time I arrived, they had already finished their project.

All the Tenses

• Present:
  • Present Simple (e.g. I go)
  • Present Continuous (e.g. I am going)
  • Present Perfect (e.g. I have gone)
  • Present Perfect Continuous (e.g. I have been going)
• Past:
  • Past Simple (e.g. I went)
  • Past Continuous (e.g. I was going)
  • Past Perfect (e.g. I had gone)
  • Past Perfect Continuous (e.g. I had been going)
• Future:
  • Future Simple (e.g. I will go)
  • Future Continuous (e.g. I will be going)
  • Future Perfect (e.g. I will have gone)
  • Future Perfect Continuous (e.g. I will have been going)

Present Simple

• Used to describe habits, routines, general truths, and fixed schedules
• Form: base form of the verb (e.g. I go, you go, he/she/it goes, we go, they go)
• Examples: waking up at 7:00 am every day, sun rising in the east, bus leaving at 8:00 am

Present Continuous

• Used to describe actions happening at the moment of speaking, temporary or changing situations, and trends
• Form: am/is/are + present participle (e.g. I am writing, you are reading, he/she/it is studying)
• Examples: studying for an exam right now, a company expanding its business, weather getting warmer

Past Simple

• Used to describe completed actions in the past, specific times and dates in the past, and past habits and routines
• Form: verb in the past tense (e.g. I went, you went, he/she/it went, we went, they went)
• Examples: going to the movies last night, Romans building the Colosseum, used to smoke but quitting

Future Perfect

• Used to describe actions that will be completed at a specific point in the future and consequences of an action
• Form: will have + past participle (e.g. I will have finished, you will have learned)
• Examples: finishing a degree by next year, building a new skyscraper by 2025

Past Perfect

• Used to describe actions that happened before another action in the past and the cause of an action in the past
• Form: had + past participle (e.g. I had eaten, you had studied)
• Examples: eating breakfast before going to school, finishing a project before arriving

All the Tenses

• Present: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, and Present Perfect Continuous
• Past: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, and Past Perfect Continuous
• Future: Future Simple, Future Continuous, Future Perfect, and Future Perfect Continuous