English Grammar: Tenses and Conditional Sentences

English Tenses

Present Simple

• Used to describe:
  • Habits and routines
  • General truths
  • Fixed schedules
• Form:
  • Base form of the verb (e.g., I go, you eat, he/she/it writes)
• Examples:
  • I wake up at 7am every day.
  • Water boils at 100°C.

Present Perfect

• Used to describe:
  • Actions started in the past and continue up to the present
  • Experiences in the past
  • Recently completed actions
• Form:
  • Has/have + past participle (e.g., I have eaten, you have written)
• Examples:
  • I have lived in Paris for three years.
  • She has just finished her homework.

Past Simple

• Used to describe:
  • Completed actions in the past
  • Specific times in the past
• Form:
  • Base form of the verb + -ed (e.g., I walked, you wrote, he/she/it ate)
• Examples:
  • I went to the store yesterday.
  • They arrived at 8pm last night.

Future Perfect

• Used to describe:
  • Actions that will be completed at a specific point in the future
  • Expected outcomes
• Form:
  • Will have + past participle (e.g., I will have eaten, you will have written)
• Examples:
  • I will have graduated by next summer.
  • They will have finished the project by the end of the month.

Conditional Sentences

• Used to describe:
  • Hypothetical or uncertain situations and their consequences
  • Unreal or uncertain conditions and their consequences
• Form:
  • If-clause (conditional) + main clause (result)
• Examples:
  • If it rains, I will take an umbrella.
  • If I won the lottery, I would buy a house on the beach.

Test your understanding of English grammar, including the present simple, present perfect, past simple, future perfect, and conditional sentences. Learn when to use each tense and how to form sentences correctly.