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.