Laras Sugiyoto senjoyo: Tenses

What is a Tenses???

It is a grammatical category that helps locate a situation in time. The tenses can be present, past or future. In the English language, tenses are especially important, because they also tell us about the aspect of the main verb. Consider these two sentences:

· I play football (Aspect: not progressive, imperfect)

· I have been playing football (Aspect: progressive, perfect)

Both of the sentences above are in present tense (more specifically, the first one is in Present Simple, the other — in Present Perfect Continuous). But they differ in aspect.

In other opinion Tenses is...

"Some grammarians define a tense as an inflection of the verb--a change of meaning you achieve by altering the form of the verb. So the past tense of win is won. In this sense, English has only two tenses, present and past. But for everyday use--especially for those who are studying foreign languages--this strict definition of tense is not very helpful. There is a broader use of the word [tense]: a form of the verb phrase which gives information about aspect and time."
(John Seely, Grammar for Teachers. Oxpecker, 2007)

Kind of tenses

Simple present

· John lives in New York.
· We play football every day.
· You are really kind.
· The meeting starts at 3 PM.

The Present Simple is the most basic tense in the English language. There are 7 uses of the tense.

Use

1. Facts, generalizations and universal truths
2. Habits and routines
3. Permanent situations
4. Events that are certain to happen
5. Arrangements that we can't change (e.g. timetables, official meetings)
6. State verbs (e.g. be, have, suppose, know)
7. Narrations, instructions or commentaries

USE 1: Facts, Generalizations and Univeral Truths

We use the Present Simple to talk about universal truths (for example, laws of nature) or things we believe are, or are not, true. It's also used to generalize about something or somebody.

· Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius. Universal Truths
· It is a big house. Facts
· The Earth goes around the Sun. Universal Truths, Facts
· Dogs are better than cats. Generalization
· Berlin is the capital city of Germany. Facts

USE 2: Habits and Routines

We also used this tense to describe actions that happen frequently. For example: habits, routines, tendencies.

· We leave for work at 7:30 AM every morning. Routine
· My husband watches the TV in the evening. Habit, Routine
· Susan often meets with her friends after school. Habit, Routine
· They usually play football on Sunday. Habit, Routine
· Mark rarely visits his sick grandmother. Tendency

USE 3: Pernament Situations

Use the Present Simple to talk about situations in life that last a relatively long time.

· I live in Boston
· He works as a fireman.
· Margaret drives a Volkswagen.
· Jerry doesn't teach maths at highschool.

USE 4: Events Certain to Happen

Use the Present Simple when an event is certain to happen in the future.

· My grandmother turns 100 this July.
· Winter starts on 21 December

USE 5: State Verbs

You should use the Present Simple with state verbs.

· I like swimming.
· We know this man.

USE 6: Future Arrangements

Use the Present Simple to talk about events that we can't change (for example, an official meeting or a train departure).

· The meeting starts at 4 PM.
· The train leaves at the noon.
· When does the plane take off?
· Jerry doesn't teach maths at high school

USE 7: Narrations, Instructions or commentaries

The Present Simple is also used in narrations (e.g. to tell a story or a joke), instructions (e.g. cooking) or commentaries (especially sport commentaries).

· "A man goes to visit a friend and is amazed to find him playing chess with his dog. He watches the game in astonishment for a while [...]"

Form

Forming a sentence in the Present Simple is easy. To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence (e.g. I, you, he, a dog) and the verb (e.g. be, talk, swim). Questions and negative sentences are only a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.

Compare these examples:

· Person A: Does she like going to the mountains?

Person B: Yes, she does.

· Person A: Does John have a dog?

Person B: No, he doesn't.

Present continuous tenses

Quick Examples :

· He is sleeping.
· I am visiting grandpa in the afternoon.
· You are always coming late for the meetings!

The Present Continuous is mainly used to express the idea that something is happening at the moment of speaking. The Present Continuous also describes activities generally in progress (not at the moment). Another use of the tense is to talk about temporary actions or future plans.

Use

1. Present actions
2. Temporary actions
3. Longer actions in progress
4. Future (personal) arrangements and plans
5. Tendencies and trends
6. Irritation

Examples

He is eating a dinner.
Mary is talking with her friends.
They are swimming in the pool.

They are working hard to earn money.

I am training to become a professional footballer

Present perfect

Quick Examples :

· I have read this book.
· The man has gone away.
· John has worked as a teacher for over 25 years.
· I have already had a breakfast.
· He has been to England.

The Present Perfect is used to express actions that happened at an indefinite time or that began in the past and continue in the present. This tense is also used when an activity has an effect on the present moment.

· Actions which happened at an indefinite (unknown) time before now
· Actions in the past which have an effect on the present moment
· Actions which began in the past and continue in the present

Present perfect continuous

Quick Examples

· I have been working as a teacher for 30 years.
· What have you been doing?

The Present Perfect Continuous has a long and scary name. But don’t worry! Read on to learn how to use it.

Use

1. Actions that started in the past and continue in the present

2. Actions that have recently stopped

3. Temporary actions and situations

Examples:

· He has been painting the house for 5 hours. He's still painting it
· I have been working as a fireman since 1973. I still work as a fireman
· I have been waiting for you for half an hour! I'm not waiting anymore because you have come
· Look at her eyes! I'm sure she has been crying. She stopped crying when she saw them
· She has never seen my brother.

Simple past

Quick Examples

· I was sleepy.
· He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago.
· I went to the cinema, bought popcorn and watched a movie.
· He ate the dinner 1 hour ago.
· I slept well last night

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can be a few actions happening one ofter another.

Use

1. Events in the past that are now finished

2. Situation in the past

3. A series of actions in the past

Past continuous

Quick Examples

·         I was watching TV yesterday in the evening.

·         She was sleeping on the couch.

·         The dog was barking.

·         While they were going to party, they office bombed.

·         I was cooking soup when Amel came.

We usually use the Past Continuous to talk about activities that lasted for some time in the past. The actions can
be interruped by something or can be happening at the same time.

Use

1. Duration in the past
2. Interrupted actions in progress
3. Actions in progress at the same time in the past
4. Irritation
5. Polite question

Past perfect

Quick Examples

· I had written the letter before you came home.
· If she had studied hard, she would have passed the English language exam.
· I wish I had been brave enough.
· Mary looked as if she had not slept for 48 hours.
· I had finished my homework before I went playing football.

We use the Past Perfect tense to emphasize that an action in the past finished before another action in the past started. This tense is also used in reported speech, third conditional sentences, or to show dissatisfaction with the past.

Use

Past perfect continuous

Quick Examples

· The boys had been quarreling for half an hour when we arrived home.
· I had been dating Angelina for 3 years before we got married.
· If it hadn't been raining, we would have gone to the park.
· She told me that she had been working as a teacher for over 40 years.

The Past Perfect Continuous is used to talk about actions or situations that were in progress before some other actions or situations. There are also other uses.

Use

1. Duration of a past action up to a certain point in the past
2. Showing cause of an action or situation
3. Third conditional sentences
4. Reported speech

Simple future

Quick Examples

· I will clean up my room. I promise!
· The telephone is ringing. I will pick it up!
· I think it will rain.
· He will stay there for hours, doing nothing.

The Future Simple is used in many situations such as when making promises or predictions.

Use

Promises
Unplanned actions
Predictions based on experience or intuition
Habits (obstinate insistence, usually habitual)

Future continuous

Quick Examples

· Tomorrow at this time, I will be taking my English langauge exam.
· Ben won't be eating the dinner now. He usually eats it around noon!
· Will you be coming to the party tonight?
· He won't be coming any time soon. He is still at the office.
· She'll be having a bath when I'm back home.

We mainly use the Future Continuous to indicate that we will be in the middle of doing something in a specified time in the future. There are also two other uses, listed below:

Use

Future continuous

Quick Examples

· Tomorrow at this time, I will be taking my English langauge exam.
· Ben won't be eating the dinner now. He usually eats it around noon!
· Will you be coming to the party tonight?
· Is she going to be cooking when we knock at the door?
· Will Mark be playing football at 6 p.m.?

We mainly use the Future Continuous to indicate that we will be in the middle of doing something in a specified time in the future. There are also two other uses, listed below:

Use

Future perfect continuous

Quick Examples

· I will have graduated from university by May.
· Patrick will have lived in Hong Kong for 20 years by the next month.
· The train will have left by now.
· The train will have left by now. We have to look for another way to get there. (I'm sure the train has left)
· The guests will have arrived at the hotel by now. (I'm sure the guests have arrived at the hotel)

We use the Future Perfect tense to talk about actions that will be finished before some point in the future. We also use this tense to express situations that will last for a specified period of time at a definite moment in the future. The last use is to express certainty that an action was completed.

Use

Past Future Tense