English Tenses Overview

Introduction

• There are 12 tenses in English.
• Today's lesson will cover and compare all tenses.
• At the end, there will be 2 tests.
• Instructor: Arnel

Tenses Breakdown

• Three periods: Present, Past, Future
• Four categories for each period:
  • Simple
  • Continuous
  • Perfect
  • Perfect Continuous

Learning Approach

• Learn groups together for comparison.
• Building a strong foundation with simple tenses will help with complex tenses.

Simple Tenses

Present Simple

• Structure: Subject + base verb (bare infinitive)
• Example: "I wake up at 6 a.m. every day."
• Negative: "I do not wake up at 6 a.m."
• Question: "Do you wake up at 6 a.m.?"

Past Simple

• Structure: Subject + past simple verb
• Example: "I woke up at 6 a.m. every day."
• Negative: "I did not wake up at 6 a.m."
• Question: "Did you wake up at 6 a.m.?"

Future Simple

• Structure: Subject + will + base verb
• Example: "I will wake up at 6 a.m. every day."
• Negative: "I will not wake up at 6 a.m."
• Question: "Will you wake up at 6 a.m.?"

Usage of Simple Tenses

• Used for habits, repeated actions, and facts.
• Specific times needed for past and future simple actions.

Continuous Tenses

Present Continuous

• Structure: Subject + am/are/is + verb + ing
• Example: "I am talking to you."
• Negative: "I am not talking to you."
• Question: "Are you talking to me?"

Past Continuous

• Structure: Subject + was/were + verb + ing
• Example: "I was talking to you."
• Negative: "I was not talking to you."
• Question: "Were you talking to me?"

Future Continuous

• Structure: Subject + will be + verb + ing
• Example: "I will be talking to you."
• Negative: "I will not be talking to you."
• Question: "Will you be talking to me?"

Usage of Continuous Tenses

• Used for actions happening at a specific period.
• Temporary actions, not permanent.
• Specific time needed for past and future continuous.

Perfect Tenses

Present Perfect

• Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle
• Example: "I have eaten at Rosario's."
• Negative: "I have not eaten at Rosario's."
• Question: "Have you eaten at Rosario's?"

Past Perfect

• Structure: Subject + had + past participle
• Example: "I had eaten at Rosario's."
• Negative: "I had not eaten at Rosario's."
• Question: "Had you eaten at Rosario's?"

Future Perfect

• Structure: Subject + will have + past participle
• Example: "I will have eaten at Rosario's."
• Negative: "I will not have eaten at Rosario's."
• Question: "Will you have eaten at Rosario's?"

Usage of Perfect Tenses

• Emphasizes actions completed before another point in time.

Perfect Continuous Tenses

Present Perfect Continuous

• Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb + ing
• Example: "The pie has been baking."

Past Perfect Continuous

• Structure: Subject + had been + verb + ing
• Example: "The pie had been baking."

Future Perfect Continuous

• Structure: Subject + will have been + verb + ing
• Example: "The pie will have been baking."

Usage of Perfect Continuous Tenses

• Emphasizes an action continuing up to another point and focuses on duration.

Conclusion

• Summary of tenses covered: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.
• Importance of understanding grammatical structures for mastering tenses.
• Two tests provided to evaluate understanding of the tenses.