Understanding English Tenses

Introduction

• Presenter: Brian Wilds
• Topic: Usage of all 12 English tenses

Present Tenses

1. Present Simple

   • Structure: Subject + base verb (e.g. I study)
   • Usage: Facts, habits, schedules
     • Examples:
       • My phone (fact)
       • He studies every day (habit)
       • On weekends, we play soccer (schedule)
   • Note: Most common verb tense in English

2. Present Continuous

   • Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb + -ing (e.g. I am studying)
   • Usage: Actions happening right now
     • Examples:
       • You are watching this video
       • I am speaking on camera
       • An airplane is flying through the sky

3. Present Perfect

   • Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle (e.g. I have studied)
   • Usage: Actions from the past describing the subject now
     • Examples:
       • I have studied English for 3 years
       • She has eaten breakfast already
       • He has lived there all his life

4. Present Perfect Continuous

   • Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb + -ing (e.g. I have been studying)
   • Usage: Action started in the past and continues to the present
     • Examples:
       • I have been studying Spanish for 8 years
       • He has been sleeping for 12 hours
       • She has been working two jobs since February

Past Tenses

1. Past Simple

   • Structure: Subject + past verb (e.g. I studied)
   • Usage: Action started and completed in the past
     • Examples:
       • She worked last night
       • He ate eggs for breakfast
       • I lived in Chicago when I was a child

2. Past Continuous

   • Structure: Subject + was/were + verb + -ing (e.g. I was studying)
   • Usage: Action continued over a period of time in the past
     • Examples:
       • I was studying when the phone rang
       • We were living in Canada when we got engaged
       • He was running when he caught the ball

3. Past Perfect

   • Structure: Subject + had + past participle (e.g. I had studied)
   • Usage: Action that occurred before another action in the past
     • Examples:
       • Sarah had already left by the time he got home
       • I had already booked the tickets when the concert sold out
       • We had eaten a big lunch so we weren't hungry when we got to the hotel

4. Past Perfect Continuous

   • Structure: Subject + had been + verb + -ing (e.g. I had been studying)
   • Usage: Action continued over time and then stopped at the moment of another past action
     • Examples:
       • I had been watching TV when the power went out
       • He had been eating pizza every day when he started the diet
       • We had been talking about going to France for years and finally decided to go

Future Tenses

1. Future Simple

   • Structure: Subject + will/shall + base verb (e.g. I will study)
   • Usage: Actions that will happen in the future
     • Examples:
       • I will call you tomorrow
       • We'll bring cupcakes to the party
       • He'll be there by 6:00 p.m.
   • Note: "Going to" can be used interchangeably, is more casual

2. Future Continuous

   • Structure: Subject + will be + verb + -ing (e.g. I will be studying)
   • Usage: Action believed to continue over a period in the future
     • Examples:
       • We will be eating dinner from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
       • I'll be running errands all afternoon
       • They're going to be traveling all summer

3. Future Perfect

   • Structure: Subject + will have + past participle (e.g. I will have studied)
   • Usage: Action will be finished by a certain future time
     • Examples:
       • She will have moved to a new apartment before the end of the year
       • He will have finished his homework by the time dinner is ready
       • They will have come home by the spring

4. Future Perfect Continuous

   • Structure: Subject + will have been + verb + -ing (e.g. I will have been studying)
   • Usage: Continuous action that will be completed by a future time
     • Examples:
       • He will have been driving for 6 hours straight when he arrives
       • We will have been living in Los Angeles for a decade this December
       • She will have been working at the company for 40 years when she retires

Conclusion

• Covered all 12 English tenses
• Attendees are encouraged to ask questions or make comments
• Gratitude for watching