2. Basic Tenses

For past and present, there are 2 simple tenses + 6 complex tenses (using auxiliary verbs). To these, we can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using modal auxiliary verbs will/shall). This makes a total of 12 tenses in the active voice. Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice. So now we have 24 tenses.

24 Tenses		past	present	future
ACTIVE	simple tenses	past	present	future
	complex tenses formed with auxiliary verbs	past perfect	present perfect	future perfect
		past continuous	present continuous	future continuous
		past perfect continuous	present perfect continuous	future perfect continuous
PASSIVE		past	present	future
		past perfect	present perfect	future perfect
		past continuous	present continuous	future continuous
		past perfect continuous	present perfect continuous	future perfect continuous

Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a modal auxiliary verb and future tenses are sometimes called "modal tenses". The examples are included here for convenience and comparison.

LECTURE 3: THE ENGLISH TENSES: FORM & MEANING

1) Present Simple Tense

We use the simple present tense when:

• the action is general

• the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future

• the action is not only happening now

• the statement is always true

The structure of the present simple tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	main verb
		do		base

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.

2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add -s to the main verb or -es to the auxiliary.

3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples:

I am a student.

The Moon goes round the Earth.

John drives a taxi.

He does not drive a bus.

Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to be" in the simple present tense - some of them are general, some of them are now:

Tara is not at home. You are happy.

She is not fat. Ram is tall.

2) Past Simple Tense

To make the simple past tense, we use:

• past form only or

• auxiliary did + base form

We use the simple past tense when:

• the event is in the past

• the event is completely finished

• we say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event

We use the simple past tense to talk about an action or a situation / an event - in the past. The event can be short or long.

Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past. In general, if we say the time or place of the event, we must use the simple past tense; we cannot use the present perfect.

Here are some more examples:

I lived in that house when I was young.

He didn't like the movie.

What did you eat for dinner?

I was at work yesterday.

Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the simple past tense. We may use the past continuous tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use the simple past tense for the action.