Tenses Rules: Tense can be defined as a word form used to indicate the time of occurrence of an incident concerning the moment of speaking. It indicates the completion or continuance of an activity. Whether you are a school student or someone preparing for competitive examinations or any other English proficiency test, good knowledge of Tenses is going to help you score better. Let’s explore different tense rules and usage with some examples!
Learn All About Tenses Here!
This Blog Includes:
- What are Tenses in English?
- 12 Main Types of Tenses
- Tenses Rules Chart
- Tenses Rules Chart PDF for Download
- Tense Rules Chart in Hindi
- Present Tense Rules and Examples
- Simple Present Tense Rules
- Present Continuous Tense Rules
- Present Perfect Tense Rules
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense Rules
- Past Tense Rules and Examples
- Simple Past Tense Rules
- Past Continuous Tense Rules
- Past Perfect Tense Rules
- Past Perfect Continuous Tense Rules
- Future Tense Rules and Examples
- Simple Future Tense Rules
- Future Continuous Tense Rules
- Future Perfect Tense Rules
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense Rules
- Tenses Rules and Application
- Examples of Each Type of Tense
- Practice with Tenses Rules Quiz Questions!
- FAQs
What are Tenses in English?
A tense is a form of the verb that allows you to express time. The tense of the verb tells us when an event or something existed or when a person did something. Tenses can be divided into three parts:
- Present Tense
- Past Tense
- Future Tense
12 Main Types of Tenses
Past, present, and future are the three main types of tenses which are tabulated below for your learning:
Past Tense | Present Tense | Future Tense |
Simple Past Tense | Simple Present Tense | Simple Future Tense |
Past Continuous Tense | Present Continuous Tense | Future Continuous Tense |
Past Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Tense |
Past Perfect Continuous Tense | Present Perfect Continuous Tense | Future Perfect Continuous Tense |
Past Unreal (Third Conditional) | Present Unreal (Second Conditional) | Future Unreal (Mixed Conditional) |
Tenses Rules Chart
Understanding the rules of tenses is essential to avoid grammatical errors and indicate the timing of events or actions in a sentence. Tenses can be categorized into three main types: Present, Past, and Future, which can be further classified into Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.
To memorize & understand the Tenses rules here is a tabulated representation.
Tenses | Tenses Rule |
Past simple tense | Subject + V2 + Object |
Past Perfect tense | Subject + had + V3 + Object |
Past Continuous tense | Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular) Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object (Plural) |
Past perfect continuous tense | Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object |
Present Simple tense | Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular) Subject + V1 + Object (Plural) |
Present Perfect tense | Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular) Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural) |
Present Continuous tense | Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object |
Present perfect continuous tense | Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object (Plural) |
Future Simple tense | Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object |
Future Perfect tense | Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object |
Future Continuous tense | Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object |
Future Perfect Continuous tense | Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object |
Tenses Rules Chart PDF for Download
You can download the tenses rule PDF from the link mentioned below:
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Tense Rules Chart in Hindi
Tenses (काल) – पहचान | |||
---|---|---|---|
Present | Past | Future | |
Indefinite | ता है, ती है, ते, हैDo/ does | आ, ई, ये, या, था, ता, ती, थे, Did+ V1 | गा, गी, गे,Will |
Continuous | रहा है, रही है, रहे है, Is/are/am + ing | रहा था, रही थी, रहे थे, Was/Were + ing | रहा होगा, रही होगी, Will be+ ing |
Perfect | चुका है, चुकी है, Has/Have + V3 | चुका था, चुकी थी, लिया था Had+ V3 | चुकेगा, चुकेगी, चुकोगे, Will have+ V3 |
Perfect Continuous | रहा है, रही है, रहे है + समय के साथ ‘से’ के लिए Has/Have+ Been+ ing + Since/ For | रहा था, रही थी, रहे थे+ समय के साथ ‘से’ के लिए Had been+ ing+Since/For | रहा होगा, रही होगी, रहे होंगे+ समय के साथ ‘से’ के लिए Will have been+ ing + Since/For |
Also Read: Figure of Speech
Present Tense Rules and Examples
The present tense is used to describe the current or present being, situation, or event. It is a form of the verb that defines the events that are currently happening. Examples
- I am going to the office
- She has been part of this group for 4 years now.
- The concert is going amazing.
Simple Present Tense Rules
Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular)
Subject + V1 + Object (Plural)
Examples:
The Sun rises in the East.
Rita goes to school.
Present Continuous Tense Rules
Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object
Examples:
I am eating pudding.
Sia is writing a letter to the editor.
Present Perfect Tense Rules
Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular)
Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural)
Examples:
He has just eaten food.
I have just read the book.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense Rules
Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)
Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)
Examples:
I have been cleaning regularly since Monday.
She has been using the night cream for several months.
Also Read:
Past Tense Rules and Examples
Past tense is used to describe a past activity or action. It is a form of the verb that defines the events that have already occurred. Examples
- Reema attended the wedding functions.
- He left before I reached.
- Priya wrote a letter to her friends from camp.
Simple Past Tense Rules
Subject + V2 + Object
Examples:
Rita went to school.
Minty ate food.
Past Continuous Tense Rules
Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular) Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)
Examples:
I was eating pudding.
Sia was writing a letter to the editor.
Past Perfect Tense Rules
Subject + had + V3 + Object
Examples:
He had taken the token.
I had brushed my teeth.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense Rules
Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object
Examples:
He had been standing in the rain the whole night.
I had been eating diet food for the whole summer.
Quick Test: Quiz Your Inner Grammar Nazi With this Grammar Test
Future Tense Rules and Examples
The future tense is used to describe future events that haven’t occurred but possibly will occur in the future. It is a form of the verb that will occur in the future & not exist currently. Examples
- She will be dancing to classical music.
- We will be shifting to the house upstate tomorrow morning.
- The train will leave in 10 minutes.
Simple Future Tense Rules
Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object
Examples:
I shall go to school tomorrow.
My mother will feed me.
Future Continuous Tense Rules
Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object
Examples:
He shall be writing his exam.
We will be going to the zoo.
Future Perfect Tense Rules
Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object
Examples:
I shall have started writing by that time.
We will have reached Goa by then.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense Rules
Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object
Examples:
By next year we will be graduating.
They shall be serving food in the slum area tomorrow.
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Tenses Rules and Application
Sometimes understanding tenses can be confusing, to sort it out & make it easier we have represented a tabulated version of tenses rules & where they are applied with the help of examples.
Tenses | Application | Example | ||
Past simple tense | Past Events | She cooked dinner for everyone last month | ||
Past Perfect tense | Prior events happened before past events | She cooked dinner for everyone last night before shifting to Mumbai | ||
Past Continuous tense | Past Events related to the occurrence of other events | She was cooking dinner for everyone when she ran out of gas. | ||
Past perfect continuous tense | Past events relating to a past moment | She was cooking for dinner & needed some rest. | ||
Present Simple tense | Facts & truths | She hosts dinner for everyone a lot. | ||
Present Perfect tense | Events of past & continuing or expected to continue in present. | She has hosted a lot of times & left with one more dinner | ||
Present Continuous tense | Current Actions | She is cooking dinner for everyone | ||
Present perfect continuous tense | Past events, continued & finished in the current moment | She cooked dinner for everyone & now needs some rest. | ||
Future Simple tense | Events completed in future | She will cook dinner for everyone next month. | ||
Future Perfect tense | Current events completed in the given time frame in future | She will be cooking dinner for everyone by 8:00 PM next Saturday | ||
Future Continuous tense | Future events & are expected to continue | She will be hosting a lot of dinner parties next year. | ||
Future Perfect Continuous tense | Tasks continue in the future & highlighting the duration | The dinner she will be cooking will take 3 hours to finish. |
Examples of Each Type of Tense
Tense | Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
---|---|---|---|
Simple Present | She teaches English. | He goes to the gym regularly. | They live in New York. |
Present Continuous | They are playing soccer right now. | She is studying for her exam. | I am writing an email. |
Present Perfect | I have visited London many times. | She has finished her book. | They have already eaten dinner. |
Present Perfect Continuous | I have been working all day. | She has been practicing the piano. | They have been talking for hours. |
Simple Past | I will be travelling next week. | She graduated from college in 2010. | They watched a movie last night. |
Past Continuous | We were hiking in the mountains. | They were talking on the phone. | She was cooking dinner when I arrived. |
Past Perfect | She had already left when I got there. | They had finished the project by noon. | I had never seen such a beautiful sunset. |
Past Perfect Continuous | By then, they had been waiting for hours. | She had been studying all night. | They had been living in that house for a decade. |
Simple Future | They will call you tomorrow. | She will come to the party. | I will buy a new car next year. |
Future Continuous | I will be traveling next week. | She will be studying all evening. | They will be celebrating the anniversary. |
Future Perfect | By then, I will have finished my work. | She will have completed the course. | They will have arrived at the destination. |
Future Perfect Continuous | She will have been working for 5 hours by 5 o’clock. | They will have been waiting for a while. | I will have been writing for two hours. |
Present Conditional (Type 1) | If it rains, we will stay at home. | She will come if she has time. | If you work hard, you will succeed. |
Past Conditional (Type 2) | If I had known, I would have come. | She would have helped if she were here. | If they had seen it, they would have been shocked. |
Past Perfect Conditional (Type 3) | If they had studied, they would have passed the test. | She would have gone to the party if she had known. | If he had seen the sign, he would have turned left. |
Also Read: 100+ Common Metaphors with Meanings
Practice with Tenses Rules Quiz Questions!
Now you know all about the types & tenses rules. Here are some practice questions to test your knowledge.
- Riya _____ (wants/ wanting)to be a pilot.
- The dinner ______ (smells/smelling) great.
- She _______ (has been crying/cried) since last night.
- I _______ (will be lying, will lie) on the beach with my friends.
- Give me a call when you ______ (have, had) time.
- I _______ (spent/spend) all my teenage years at math camp.
- When we were in the hostel we _____ (made/make) our breakfast.
- Sandhya is ________ (running/ran) for student election this semester.
- He _____ (plays/playing) tennis most of his evening.
- When you called, I was______ (taking/took) a shower.
Answers
- Wants
- Smells
- Has been crying
- Will be lying
- Have
- Spent
- Made
- Running
- Plays
- taking
FAQs
What are the types of tenses?
There are three types of tenses past, present, and future which can be further divided into Simple Tense, Continuous Tense, Perfect Tense and perfect Continuous Tense.
What is the formula for the future continuous tense rule?
shall/ will + be + verb + ing is the correct formula for the future continuous tense rule.
What are the tense rules for the present tense?
In the present tense, the task should be completed in a certain time frame.
Which tense is used while making predictions?
According to the tenses rules, future simple tenses should be used in predictions.
For the task that has started & still going on, which tense should be used?
Based on tense rules, in this case, the present perfect tense should be used.
While describing historical events, which tense is used?
Referring to tenses rules, past simple tense should be used in the case of historical events
What is V1 V2 V3 in tenses?
V1, V2 and V3 are verb 1, verb 2 and verb 3 which are base, past simple and past participle forms of the verb.
What is tense in simple words?
Tenses are the forms of verbs that denote the time of the action – present, past or future.
We hope this article gave you a clear idea about tenses, their types, and tenses rules. If you have any questions regarding higher education abroad and careers, let Leverage Edu be at your service. Consult our professional counsellors by booking a 30-minute free counselling session.