Tenses
Present simple
Present simple is used to describe events in the present.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| I, You, We, They | Infinitve |
| He, She, It | Infinitve + s |
Examples
- I cook some noodles for lunch.
- You learn english!
- He buys new clothes every september.
Present continous
Present continous is used to describe events that have already started and are still going on.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| I, You, He, She, It, We, They | to be + verb-ing |
Examples
- I am shopping for my birthday.
- You are studying for the exam next week.
- He is cooking a meal for today.
Past simple
Past simple is used to describe events that began and ended in the past.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| Any verb: I, You, He, She, It, We, They | verb + ed (verb 3)* |
| Verb: to be (Person I, He, She, It) | was |
| Verb: to be (Person You, We, They) | were |
Examples
- I asked my teacher about the life of animals.
- You studied for the exam today
- He was in church last Friday.
Past continous
Past continuous is used to describe events that took place in the past and lasted for a certain time, but are now over.
Past continous is sometimes also called past progressive.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| I, He, She, It | was + verb-ing |
| You, We, They | were + verb-ing |
Examples
- I was reading the new book from Lewis Caroll.
- You were baking while I watched some shows on netflix.
- He was studying for a long time.
Past perfect
Past perfect is used as example for conditionals and wishes.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| I, You, He, She, It, We, They | had + verb 3*/past participle |
Examples
- I had played soccer before I came home yesterday.
- You had learned english for the exam last Tuesday.
- She had waited a long time for the new jeans to arrive.
Verb 3 means the form of verb ending with -ed except for the irregular verbs. Also known as past participle.