There are three main verb tenses in English – the past, the present and the future – which each have various forms and uses. Today, we’re going to explore the four different aspects of the present tense: the present simple, the present continuous, the present perfect and the present perfect continuous.
We’ll look at how these tenses are structured, when exactly to use them – and of course, include some activities for you to practise them at home.
Let’s get started!
These are the four present tenses in English and how they are used in a sentence:
The present simple is usually the first tense English students learn. You can use it to talk about yourself and other people – as well as things that occur habitually in the present.
In the present simple, the base form of the verb is the same for every subject pronoun, except the third person, where you add an “s” to the end of the verb.
Let’s take a look at the verb “eat”:
Now, it’s your turn! Take a look at this present simple activity all about the daily routine of the Queen. As you watch the video, try to think of the correct answer, then wait a few seconds to find out what it is.
*Remember to use third person “s.”
Now you can use the present simple, it is time to look at the present continuous.
Use the verb to be + base verb + ing (sometimes called the gerund or present participle).
Here’s an example using the word “sleep”.
There are some verbs we cannot use in the continuous tense. These are called stative verbs. Stative verbs refer to states, feelings, or senses rather than actions. In these cases, we use the present simple instead. Here are some examples of stative verbs:
Take a look at this picture below. Can you describe what is happening using the present continuous? We’ll post an answer key at the end of this blogpost.
*Remember if it’s a stative verb to use present simple instead.
The present perfect simple is used to connect the past to the present. The time of the action is often unspecified, and the focus is more on the result rather than the action. Let’s look at the form:
Use the auxiliary verb have + the past participle of the main verb.
The past participle of regular verbs end in -ed, for verbs like walked, played, looked and watched. But there are lots of irregular verbs – for example, been (be), eaten (eat), made (make), gone (go), got (get), given (give), read (read), said (say), taken (take).
Note that in 3rd person, we use “has” instead of “have”.
However, keep in mind that when we give more details in a sentence – and explain things like when, who, where, who, and why – we change the tense we use to the past simple.
Here is an example:
-Have you ever been to Scotland?
-Yes I went there for a week when I was ten years old.
Look at the activity below. First complete each gap with an appropriate past participle. Then answer the questions in the present perfect simple.
The present perfect continuous is the last of the present tenses. It is used to talk about an action that started in the past but perhaps has still not finished in the present. The focus is on the process as well as the result. The process may be still going, or may have recently finished.
Use the auxiliary verb have/has + been + base verb + ing to form the present perfect continuous. Let’s take a look at the verb “read”:
Note that the verbs “live” and “work” can be used with either present perfect simple, or present perfect continuous without changing the meaning.
Also note you cannot use stative verbs with continuous tenses. For these, we use the present perfect simple.
Answer the questions below about yourself in full sentences. Then compare your answers with the examples at the end of this blogpost.
There is a room full of people. It looks like an art gallery. Most of the people are looking at the phones or are taking a picture of something. The woman in the middle is wearing a hat. Lots of people are listening to audio guides. One woman is showing her friend her picture on her phone.
I have/have never eaten sushi.
I have/have never broken a bone.
I have/have never sung karaoke.
I have/have never been scuba diving.
I have/have never gone camping.
I have/have never played tennis.
I have been living in Barcelona for 15 years/all my life/since I was a child.
I have been learning English for 10 years/since I was 10 years old.
I’ve been playing football for 2 years now/all my life.
I’ve been reading this blogpost for 5 minutes/ 10 minutes/1 hour.
Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.
Daily routine (n): your habitual, normal everyday routine.
Unspecified (adj) : not stated clearly or exactly.
Perhaps (adv): maybe.
Key
n = noun
adj = adjective
adv = adverb
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