English Tenses: Simple and Continuous

• Tenses indicate when an action or event takes place.
• English has past, present, and future tenses.
• Each tense has simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous aspects.

Simple Tenses

• Simple tenses describe actions without specifying completion.
  • Simple present describes habits, general truths, and permanent situations.
    • Example: "I eat breakfast every morning."
  • Simple past describes completed actions in the past.
    • Example: "I ate breakfast this morning."
  • Simple future describes future actions.
    • Example: "I will eat breakfast tomorrow morning."

Continuous Tenses

• Continuous tenses (progressive tenses) describe actions in progress.
  • Present continuous describes actions happening now or around now.
    • Structure: am/is/are + present participle (-ing form of verb)
    • Example: "I am eating breakfast right now."
  • Past continuous describes actions in progress at a specific past time.
    • Structure: was/were + present participle
    • Example: "I was eating breakfast when you called."
  • Future continuous describes actions in progress at a specific future time.
    • Structure: will be + present participle
    • Example: "I will be eating breakfast at 8 a.m. tomorrow."

Perfect Tenses

• Perfect tenses describe completed actions with relevance to a specific time.
  • Present perfect describes actions from the past relevant to the present, or actions completed at an unspecified time in the past.
    • Structure: have/has + past participle
    • Example: "I have eaten breakfast already."
  • Past perfect describes actions completed before a specific time in the past.
    • Structure: had + past participle
    • Example: "I had eaten breakfast before I went to work."
  • Future perfect describes actions to be completed before a specific time in the future.
    • Structure: will have + past participle
    • Example: "I will have eaten breakfast by the time you arrive."

Perfect Continuous Tenses

• Perfect continuous tenses describe actions that began in the past, continued until recently, and may still be ongoing.
  • Present perfect continuous describes actions that started in the past and are still continuing or have only just stopped.
    • Structure: have/has been + present participle
    • Example: "I have been eating breakfast for an hour."
  • Past perfect continuous describes actions in progress before a specific time in the past.
    • Structure: had been + present participle
    • Example: "I had been eating breakfast for an hour before you called."
  • Future perfect continuous describes actions in progress for a period before a specific future time.
    • Structure: will have been + present participle
    • Example: "I will have been eating breakfast for an hour by the time you arrive."

Tense Usage Summary

• Present Simple: habitual actions, facts, general truths, scheduled events in the near future
• Present Continuous: actions happening now, temporary situations, future arrangements
• Present Perfect: actions that started in the past and continue to the present, life experiences, recent actions with present relevance
• Present Perfect Continuous: actions that started in the past and continue to the present, emphasizing duration
• Past Simple: completed actions in the past, series of completed actions
• Past Continuous: actions in progress at a specific time in the past, background actions
• Past Perfect: actions completed before a specific time in the past
• Past Perfect Continuous: actions that had been in progress before a specific time in the past, emphasizing duration
• Future Simple: predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises
• Future Continuous: actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future
• Future Perfect: actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future
• Future Perfect Continuous: actions that will have been in progress for a period of time before a specific time in the future, emphasizing duration