What You Need to Know About English Tenses

Starting to feel tense in thinking about the English Tenses? This is why I should probably stick to teaching and not be a comedian. Jokes aside, tenses are an essential part of the English language. They allow speakers to clarify the timing of when an action is happening. In this article, we will briefly go over each English tense and how it is used. But first, what are tenses?

What are Tenses?

Essentially a tense will indicate the timing of an action. There are three basic tenses in English: The Present, The Past, and The Future. Along with tenses, you will notice they it will be attached to the verb tense. There are 4 kinds of verb tenses that will be associated with the tenses.

These aspects affect how the verb is conjugated, as well as which auxiliary words are used in the sentence (if any). With each tense, you will learn how to conjugate verbs (changing verb forms). 

Don’t worry if this seems too complicated or overwhelming please remember that many native English speakers struggle with this, too. There’s some good news though, some verb tenses are more common than others. We’ll start with those. As you continue learning English, you can dive into more complex forms to express more specific ideas. In this article, I’ll be covering only the simple aspect of each tense. If you want to get more in-depth practice, I highly recommend checking out the Takelessons Live ESL Group Classes. Click here for a free trial.

1. Present Tense

EXAMPLE: I cook.

The present tense is used to refer to something that is happening now, in the present. It can also be used to describe something that occurs on a regular basis and to express facts and statements. 

To form the simple present, you simply take the infinitive form of the verb

EX: To cook

Then remove the word “to” to create the base infinitive. 

EX: cook

Let’s take a look at this table to see how the verb “To Cook” is conjugated.

NOTE:  The third person requires the -s at the end. 

Of course, you can make these sentences longer and more specific by adding time words/phrases. These are words that indicate exactly when the action is taking place. 

Common Time Words & Phrases for Simple Present Tense

2. Past Tense

She cooked.

The past tense is used to refer to something that happened previously, in the past. 

To form the simple past for regular verbs, you’ll need to take the infinitive form of the verb (in this case, “to cook”) take away the word “to,” and add -ed to the end of the root verb:

As you will notice, all subjects take on the same verb form, even the third person singular. Their conjugation is identical. Now, let’s go ahead and add some time words that refer to the past.

3. Future Tense

You will cook.

The future tense is used to refer to future actions or, in some cases, probable future actions. 

To form the simple future, take the infinitive form of the verb, remove the word “to,” and add the word “will” in front of the root verb. The auxiliary verb “will” indicates a future event. 

As you will notice, “will” does not take have a special conjugation. The same form is used for all verbs. 

Let’s try adding time words that will indicate the future.

Irregular Verbs

Now that we looked at the rules for regular verbs, let’s take a look at those lovely irregular verbs.

Irregular verbs are verbs that don’t conjugate the same way as regular verbs, which means you’ll have to remember separate conjugation rules for them. 

In the section below, I’ll introduce you to some of the common irregular verbs: “to be,” “to do,” and “to have.” Let’s take a look!

TO BE

PRESENT 

My ESL teacher is tired.

PAST

My ESL teacher was tired.

FUTURE

My ESL teacher will be tired.

TO DO

PRESENT

I do study.

PAST

I did  a good job.

Future Tense

I will do a good job.

TO HAVE

PRESENT

We have a dog.

PAST

We had a dog.

FUTURE

We will have a dog.

Let’s Practice!

Let’s go ahead and give what you read a try. There is nothing better than practicing what you have learned, right?

Here are three regular verbs that need to be conjugated according to the tense.  See if you can do answer them. The answers will be at the end of this article.

Present

Past

C- Future

Final Thoughts

How did you do? 

With enough study time, dedication, and practice, you’ll be able to master all the English tenses and their conjugations.

I hope this English tenses lesson has been helpful for you! How do you feel about English tenses at this point?  At TakeLessons Live, it’s our goal to help you learn in the most fun and effective way possible through our group classes. I hope to see you there soon!

Answers

How did you do?