Present, past and future time
The present often describes habits or current facts: “I walk.” The past describes an earlier event: “I walked.” The future can be expressed with “will” or other constructions: “I will walk.”
Simple and continuous forms
Simple forms describe facts, habits or events as a whole. Continuous forms use a form of be plus an -ing verb to emphasize an action in progress, such as “She is reading.”
Perfect forms connect two times
Perfect forms use have plus a past participle. The present perfect, “They have finished,” connects a past event to the present. The past perfect places one past event before another.
Choose a tense for the meaning
Keep the timeline clear. In a paragraph about past events, avoid switching to the present without a reason. Use the continuous form when the ongoing nature of an action matters.
Frequently asked questions
What is the present perfect?
It uses have or has plus a past participle to connect a past event or experience with the present.
Is “will” the only way to express the future?
No. English can also use the present continuous or “be going to” when the context makes a future meaning clear.