Verb tenses

Verb tenses

1. Simple tenses

   • Simple present tense
     • Simple Present tense is used to show something that happens regularly or doen't happen regularly. It shows habit. i.e., Jerry plays tennis everyday
     • Tips
       • For singular subjects, we have an 's' to the verb in simple present tense. If it's a plural subject you won't have any ending on the verb.
   • Simple past tense
     • For simple past tense we want to show something that happened in the past and finished at an particular time. i. e., Jerry played tennis yesterday, is a specific time when he did some action.
     • Tips
       • To show te action that happened in simple past for regular verbs, we just use 'ed'. The hard part is for irregular verbs like sit and eat. You have to remember that there's a special past tense form each of those irregular verbs. 
   • Simple future tense
     • To show simple future, we use the word will plus the simple form of the verb. So, will play is used to show future tense, e.g., Jerry will play tennis the next weekend.

2. Progressive tenses

   • show that an action is continuing at certain period of time
     • Present progressive
       • shows what it happening right now, i.e., Jennifer is walking to class.
       • Tips
         • To make the present progressive we need two parts of the verb- We need a be verb and an ing. If your subject is singular, then you'll use the singular be verb is. If ypur subject is plural like Jennifer and Mary, you use the be ver are, plus ing.
     • Past progressive
       • We want to show an action that was continuing at certain time un the past, i.e., Jennifer was walking to the class.
       • Tips
         • Again, we need two parts of the verb, be verb and ing. But for past progressivewe need to use past tense verbs, was and were. Was is the singular, were is the pluar and your ing.
     • Future progressive
       • shows that something that will be happening continuosly at a time in the future, i.e., Jennifer will be walking to class.
       • Tips
         • To make the future progressive, we use the word will plus be and the ing. Will is a motile that has to have a simple form after it so we don't use is or are. After will you use the simple form be plus ing.

3. Perfect tenses

   • Perfect tense is used to show something that happened in the past before now at a non-specific time. Or something that happended regularly in the past, lots of times, but again at non specific times.
     • Present perfect
       • The emphasis with present perfect is show something happened in the past before now. So it's related tp the present but it shows something from the past, i.e., *Steve has eaten shuchi before.
         • *When did he eat sushi? It was sometime before now but we don't know when. 
       • Tip
         • To make the present perfec we need two parts of the verb. We need the present tense of have and if it's singular we use has and we need a past participle. The past participle of eat is eaten. 
     • Past perfect
       • has nothing to do with the present. That's what different from present perfect. Present perfect now is important, in past perfect now is not important. When we talk about past perfect, we are talking abput two actions in the past and we want to show that one of the actions happened before the other action, i.e., *Alan had not studied before he took the test.
         • *So, in this example. What are the two actions? You have studied and took. So we want to show in the past, before he took the test, he had not studied.
       • Tips
         • But your past perfect is made by usinf past tense of hava, which is had, and the past participle of study, which is studied. The verb here is just in simple past tense. The one tha happened before the other is going to be the past perfect.
     • Furure perfect
       • refers to actions in the future. Again now is not important with the future perfect, i.e., *by the next weekend, I will have seen the movie six times.
         • *The two points in the time are seeing the movie and the next week. xx xxx the thing that happens before the other, I use the future perfect, will have seen. 
       • Tips
         • I use will plus the verb have in its simple form because is after will and past participle of see wich iis seen. This future perfect shows me that this will happen before this time. 

4. Perfect progressive tenses

   • These combines what we have already learned about the perfect with what we have already learned about the progressive.
     • Present perfect progressive
       • shows that something started before now and continue even longer. It's not very different from present perfect. The emphasis is on the time that the action goes on, i.e., She has been waiting for a long time.
       • Tips
         • You need have, have or has, because that ,makes it perfect, Ypu need been, wich is the past participial of be, becasise that's also part of making it perfect, and you need the ing with your be, because that makes it progressive.
     • Past perfect progressive
       • shows that something was happening in the past and may have been going on before something else. I.e., he had been sleeping for ten hours. That meas that he was doing thos action continuosly, for duration of ten hours. The focus is on the lenght of time that he did this.
       • Tips
         • Past perfect progressive is made with a past tense of have, so we have had again. ANd the past participle of the be verb, been, and an ing.
     • Future perfect progressive
       • emphasizes a continuos action in the future that lasts continuosly, i.e., *we will be studiying for a month
         • *It has a similar meaning with the future perfect, we will have studied for a month. But because it's perfect and progressive, we're emphasizing the continuos for some period of time.