English Grammar: Present Tense

• English grammar tenses indicate when an action takes place, relating the action to the flow of time.
• There are three main time divisions: present, past, and future.
• Each of these divisions has four aspects: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.
• This gives a total of twelve tenses, although in practice, some are used more frequently than others.
• The following notes detail the present and past tenses.

Present Tense

• The present tense describes events happening now or states that currently exist.
• It also describes habitual actions or general truths.

Simple Present

• Base form of the verb (or -s/-es for third-person singular).
• Used for habits: "I drink coffee every morning."
• Used for general truths: "The sun rises in the east."
• Used for scheduled events in the near future: "The train leaves at 6 PM."
• Used for stating facts: "She lives in London."
• Used for narrating stories in the present (literary technique): "Suddenly, he enters the room."
• Signal words include: always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, never, every day/week/year.

Present Continuous

• Formed using "am/is/are + verb-ing".
• Used for actions happening right now: "I am studying English grammar."
• Used for temporary actions: "He is living in Berlin for a few months."
• Used for future arrangements: "We are meeting tomorrow at 10 AM."
• Used for describing trends or changes: "More and more people are using smartphones."
• Signal words include: now, at the moment, currently, these days.

Present Perfect

• Formed using "have/has + past participle".
• Used for actions that started in the past and continue to the present: "I have lived here for five years."
• Used for experiences without a specific time: "I have visited Paris."
• Used for recently completed actions with present results: "I have finished my work."
• Signal words include: since, for, yet, already, just, ever, never, lately, recently.

Present Perfect Continuous

• Formed using "have/has + been + verb-ing".
• Used for actions that started in the past and continue to the present, emphasizing duration: "I have been studying English for two hours."
• Used for actions that have recently stopped with a present result: "I'm tired because I have been running."
• Signal words include: since, for, lately, recently.
• Often interchangeable with present perfect, but present perfect continuous emphasizes the ongoing process.

Past Tense

• The past tense describes events that have already happened.

Simple Past

• Usually formed by adding "-ed" to the base form of regular verbs (irregular verbs have unique forms).
• Used for completed actions in the past: "I watched a movie yesterday."
• Used for past habits or states: "I used to play the piano."
• Used for a series of completed actions in the past: "I woke up, brushed my teeth, and had breakfast."
• Signal words include: yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2005.

Past Continuous

• Formed using "was/were + verb-ing".
• Used for actions in progress at a specific time in the past: "I was watching TV at 8 PM last night."
• Used for describing the background of a story: "The sun was shining, and the birds were singing."
• Used for two actions happening simultaneously in the past: "I was cooking while he was reading."
• Used for interrupted actions in the past: "I was walking home when it started to rain."
• Signal words include: while, as, when.

Past Perfect

• Formed using "had + past participle".
• Used for actions completed before another action in the past: "I had eaten dinner before I went to the cinema."
• Used to show cause and effect in the past: "I failed the test because I hadn't studied."
• Often used with "before," "after," "by the time," "when," or "already."

Past Perfect Continuous

• Formed using "had + been + verb-ing".
• Used for actions that continued up to a specific time in the past: "I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally arrived."
• Used to show the cause of a past situation: "He was tired because he had been working hard."
• Emphasizes the duration of an action before another point in the past.
• Signal words include: for, since, until.