Tenses & Verb Forms

What is a Tense?

A tense tells us when an action happens — in the past, present, or future. Every sentence with a verb has a tense, even if we don't always notice it.

Understanding tenses is one of the most important parts of English grammar. Getting them right makes your writing clearer and more professional.

The Three Main Tenses

English has three main tenses, each describing a different time frame:

• Past — the action already happened: She walked to school.
• Present — the action is happening now or regularly: She walks every day.
• Future — the action hasn't happened yet: She will walk tomorrow.

Each tense also has a continuous form, made with to be + verb**-ing**: "was eating", "is running", "will be sleeping".

Key Rules

Simple present — add -s/-es when the subject is he/she/it.

• "He runs." / "She watches."

Simple past — most verbs add -ed. Irregular verbs change their spelling entirely.

• Regular: walk → walked, play → played
• Irregular: go → went, run → ran, eat → ate

Consistency — keep tenses consistent within a sentence unless the time genuinely shifts.

Common Mistakes

❌ Yesterday I go to the store and buy milk. ✅ Yesterday I went to the store and bought milk.

The mistake above mixes present-tense verbs into a past-tense sentence. Always check that your verbs match the time you're describing.