■ Tense tells us WHEN something happens — Past, Present, or Future.
■ Easy trick: Time = Tense ■
■ Full Tense Table (All 12 Tenses)
Tense Structure Example
Present Simple S + V1 I play
Present Continuous S + am/is/are + V-ing I am playing
Present Perfect S + has/have + V3 I have played
Present Perfect Continuous S + has/have been + V-ing I have been playing
Past Simple S + V2 I played
Past Continuous S + was/were + V-ing I was playing
Past Perfect S + had + V3 I had played
Past Perfect Continuous S + had been + V-ing I had been playing
Future Simple S + will + V1 I will play
Going to S + am/is/are + going to + V1 I am going to play
Future Continuous S + will be + V-ing I will be playing
Future Perfect S + will have + V3 I will have played
■ Easy Explanation
Present = Now ■ | Past = Before ■ | Future = Later ■
Continuous = 'ing' form ■ | Perfect = Completed ✔■
■ Fun Examples
I am eating ■ (now)
I ate ■ (past)
I will eat ■ (future)
✏■ Practice Time
1 1. She ______ (play) daily.
2 2. I ______ (study) now.
3 3. They ______ (finish) work.
4 4. He ______ (go) yesterday.
5 5. I ______ (complete) homework by tomorrow.
■ My Note: If I understand time, I can easily choose the correct tense!