In this lesson, we will review the basic verb tenses you need to talk about the past, present, and future.

By the end of this lesson, you will:
✅ Recognize the most common tenses in English
✅ Use them to talk about your life and experiences
✅ Feel more confident when speaking and writing

1. Present Simple

We use it to talk about:

• habits and routines
• facts and general truths

Form:
👉 Subject + base verb (add -s/-es for he/she/it)

Examples:

• I get up at 7 o’clock.
• She works in a bank.
• The sun rises in the east.

2. Present Continuous

We use it to talk about:

• things happening now
• temporary situations

Form:
👉 Subject + am/is/are + verb + -ing

Examples:

• I am studying English now.
• They are watching TV.
• She is living in Toronto at the moment.

3. Past Simple

We use it to talk about:

• finished actions in the past

Form:
👉 Subject + past verb (regular verbs = + -ed, irregular verbs change form)

Examples:

• I watched a movie yesterday.
• She visited her grandma last weekend.
• They went to the park.

4. Past Continuous

We use it to talk about:

• actions that were happening at a specific time in the past

Form:
👉 Subject + was/were + verb + -ing

Examples:

• I was reading a book at 9 pm.
• They were playing football when it started to rain.
• She was cooking dinner.

5. Future with will

We use it to talk about:

• predictions
• decisions at the moment of speaking

Form:
👉 Subject + will + base verb

Examples:

• I will call you tomorrow.
• Don’t worry, you will pass the test!
• She will travel next summer.

6. Future with going to

We use it to talk about:

• plans and intentions
• something we can see is going to happen

Form:
👉 Subject + am/is/are going to + base verb

Examples:

• I’m going to study tonight.
• They are going to buy a new car.
• Look at those clouds! It’s going to rain.

7. Present Perfect

We use it to talk about:

• experiences in life (no exact time)
• actions that started in the past and continue now (for/since)
• recent actions with just, already, yet

Form:
👉 Subject + have/has + past participle

🔹 With for and since

• I have lived here for 5 years.
• She has worked in this company since 2018.

🔹 With just (a very recent action)

• I have just finished my homework.

🔹 With already (something happened earlier than expected)

• They have already eaten dinner.

🔹 With yet (in negative sentences and questions)

• I haven’t finished my project yet.
• Have you done your homework yet?

📊 Summary Table

Tense	Use	Example
Present Simple	habits, facts	She works in a bank.
Present Continuous	happening now	They are watching TV.
Past Simple	finished actions	We visited London.
Past Continuous	action in progress (past)	I was reading at 8 pm.
Future (will)	decisions, predictions	I will call you.
Future (going to)	plans, intentions	I’m going to travel.
Present Perfect	experiences, unfinished time, recent actions	I have lived here since 2018.

Let’s practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2