Today we are going to learn English
grammar tense, what is English grammar tense, English grammar tenses with
example.
Before we start we would like to let you know why you need to learn grammar tenses because it will help you crack IELTS, helping in a corporate job, competitive exam.
Saying "I eat fish" is not the same as saying "I am eating fish."
Simple times
Before we start we would like to let you know why you need to learn grammar tenses because it will help you crack IELTS, helping in a corporate job, competitive exam.
Saying "I eat fish" is not the same as saying "I am eating fish."
But what is the difference?
To understand why these two sentences
are different, you need to understand grammar tenses in English.
The grammatical tense in English tells
you the moment in which an action takes place. If you are wrong with this, you
can cause confusion and misunderstanding.
At first, it may seem difficult to
learn grammar tenses in English, although all you have to do is remember some
sentence structures and learn a few simple rules.
Start by breaking down the information
into easy to understand parts. Let's start with the essentials:
Past, present and future!
In English, there are 3 grammatical
times in English that are the basic ones: the past, the present and the
future.
·
The past tense is used for any action that occurred before the present.
·
The present tense is used for anything that is happening in these moments
or general statements.
- The future tense is used for everything that will happen at any tenses
after the present.
(There is also the perfect tense, although
in this article we will only talk about the 3 basic grammar times in English
that we mentioned earlier).
Of course, if it were that simple, you
wouldn't be reading this guide!
These times have some variations that
make them more specific.
These variations describe the exact
time at which the action takes place.
The 3 times have 2 types of main
variations: simple and continuous.
·
Continuous times are used for actions that are repeated several times over
a period of time.
·
Simple times are used for ... everything else!
You will discover when to use each of
them in the following guide.
Since past and present times are
closely related, it is best to study them together.
The future tense will appear later in
the article.
This is a basic guide that will help
you understand when you should use each of these times.
The Definitive Guide For Beginners About English Grammar Tense
In English
Simple times
Go back to the first example you saw in
this article: "I eat fish". This sentence is in the present
simple.
Simple
present
The simple present tense is mainly used
for 3 things:
1. Describe permanent or never changing
things.
2. Describe the regularity with which
an action occurs.
3. Talk about scheduled events.
To use this tense, add an -s at
the end of the verb when you use the pronouns "he" or
"she." For example: "he speaks" (he speaks) or
"she eats" (she eats).
With any other pronoun, you don't have
to change the verb. Example: "we speak" (we speak) or "I
eat" (I eat).
The simple present tense is ideal for
talking about your hobbies, communicating something that you think is true or
asking what time you can take the bus at the next stop.
Here are some examples: If you like to
play the violin, you can say: “I play the violin” (I play the
violin). Since this is a hobby, you can add: "I am not a
professional violinist". I am not a professional violinist.
Maybe you worry about a friend who
bites his nails. In this case, you can affirm: "He bites his
nails when he's nervous" (He bites his nails when he's nervous).
You have to get ready quickly if you
want to arrive at your friend's party, since she has just called to say: “The
party starts in an hour”.
Maybe you should remind your friend to
bring a gift, because: "He never remembers birthdays" (he
never remembers birthdays).
Simple
past
The past simple is used in a
manner very similar to the present simple.
Simple past verbs have a -ed (I
walked, he smiled). However, there are many irregular verbs that do not
use the -ed, so you have to learn them (I spoke, he ate).
This time does not speak of the
present, but of an action that occurred or is no longer true.
Use the past simple to describe an
action that has already happened.
This description of a trip uses the
simple past tense: “Last year I visited New York. I lived in
a hotel for a month. I rode the train, took many
pictures and walked all around Central Park. ”
You can also use this time for many of
the same reasons that you would use the present simple. The past simple
serves to describe a hobby or habit that you have left or something
that you no longer believe is true.
The words "used to" are used
frequently at this time. You can say it anyway. For example: “I used
to play the violin when I was young” means the same as “I played the
violin when I was young”.
Continuous
times
The word continues refers to
an ongoing action that is being developed at this time.
Continuous tense uses the suffix -ing for
verbs (eating, speaking), both in the present and in the past.
Wait. If continuous time is
passing "right now," how is it possible that there is a continuous
past? Keep reading to find out!
Present
continuous
You can use the present continuous to
talk about an ongoing action that is happening right now or that will happen
very soon.
For example: "You are reading this
article". “You are drinking some coffee or taking a
break from work”. Now an example of actions that will happen very soon:
“You might be meeting some friends for dinner”.
You can express the frequency of the
action with the words “always” (always) or “constantly” (constantly). For
example: "My mother-in-law is always complaining " or
"that child is constantly crying ". None of these
phrases is good, although they use the correct time!
Past
continuous
This time is used to describe a
continuous action that was interrupted. If you receive a call late at
night, you can say, "I was sleeping last night when I got the
call".
You can also use this time to
communicate what you were doing at a specific time in the past. Example:
"I was already writing at 6 in the morning" or
"Yesterday in the evening I was eating dinner" (Last night
I was eating dinner).
Looking at the future
The future is any action that has not
yet occurred. It can happen in a few seconds or even several years.
Simple
future
It is one of the simplest English
grammar tenses: you just have to add the words "will" or "is
going to" before the verb.
When should you use "will" or
"is going to"?
Don't worry, usually either is
fine! You can say: "I will call you later" or
"I am going to call you later". Both sentences are
correct.
The small difference is
meaning. "Going to" is used more for planned events. So, in
the previous example, the first sentence is improvised (without thinking too
much about it) and the second one sounds as if you make sure to call
later.
The difference is subtle and there is
no problem with using any of the sentences. Just remember that
"will" is used more often for promises and things you do on your own,
while "going to" is used to make plans.
You can also use any of these phrases
to make predictions. For example: "The world will end in
ten years". You can also say: "The world is going to end in
ten years", although we expect your predictions to be wrong!
Future
continuous
The last way to talk about the future
has the same uses as the past continuous.
This time serves to talk about things
that may be interrupted in the future or events that will occur at a specific
time.
Simply add the suffix -ing to
the verb after the words "will be" or "going to be".
If you know that your friend comes to
visit you tomorrow and at your house dinner is at 7, you can tell him to arrive
earlier because: “We will be eating dinner at 7 ″ (We will have
dinner at 7). If you decide to wait for him at the train station, tell
him: “I will be waiting for you at the train station”.
A quick summary of English grammar
tense in English
Here is a quick list that summarizes
everything covered by this article:
Simple present
Something that is immutable, general,
programmed or that occurs at certain intervals.
Uses : "verb + s".
Present continuous
Something that is happening now or in
the near future.
Uses : "Is + verb +
ing".
Simple past
Something that happened before now.
Uses : "Verb-ed".
Past continuous
Something that an event or moment
interrupted.
Uses : "Was + verb +
ing".
Simple future
Something that will happen later.
Uses: "Will + verb",
"Is going to + verb".
Future continuous
Something that an event or the moment
will interrupt in the future.
Uses : "Will be + verb +
ing", "Is going to be + verb + ing".
We have tried to cover everything here. If you wish to join the classroom for English spoken then click here.
We have tried to cover everything here. If you wish to join the classroom for English spoken then click here.
PHEW! Breathe deeply. You
just learned a lot!
Pay attention to the way grammatical
tenses are used in English. Learn the rules and practice your verbal
expression skills and you'll never have misunderstandings about using the wrong
time!
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