Tense Chart: The Tense Chart is a visual representation of the various verb tenses in English. It organizes the verb tenses in English. It outlines the various forms of the verb according to their uses. By using a tense chart, one can easily understand the relationship between the various forms of verbs and be able to make appropriate verb choices in speech and writing. A tense chart generally helps to organize the chart by time and shows how sentences are formed using different tenses.
Tense Chart in English
The English language is rich and complex, and it allows a variety of verb tenses that allow us to express different times, actions, and states. One of the major styles for learning verb tenses is using the tense chart. Developing a clear and solid understanding of trends is a mandatory part of your clear and accurate expression and action. Also, you’ll gain confidence if you use correct sentences when communicating with others.
What is Tense?
In English Grammar, Tense is a form of Verb which majorly used to express the time of the action or situation expressed by the Verb. According to Oxford Dictionary, Tense is defined as “Any of the forms of a verb that may be used to show the time of the action or situation expressed by the verb”.
Tense is a grammatical representation that helps us to understand and express the time at which an action, event, or state occurs accordingly. By combining auxiliary verbs(such as “be”, “have”, or “will”) with main verbs in different forms tenses are formed. Tense helps us to convey whether an action is happening in the past, or will occur in the future. Understanding the use of tenses correctly is crucial for better and more effective communication with others.
Tense Chart in English
Types of Tenses
In English Grammar, there are three types of Tenses.
- Present Tense
- Past Tense
- Future Tense
Each tense has various forms and can be further categorized into simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses. The choice of tenses depends on the context, the intended meaning, and the relationship between the action and the time being referred to.
There are 12 tenses which are as follows:
Tense Chart Rules and Examples
Tense Chart
|
| Tenses |
Rules and Formula |
Examples |
| Simple Present Tense |
Subject+ Verb in the base form ( s/es) + rest of sentence |
Romila plays football and badminton in the evening. |
| Present Continuous Tense |
Subject+ Helping Verb (am/is/are)+ Main verb+ ing+ rest of the sentence |
Parents are leaving for the office. |
| Present Perfect Tense |
Subject+ Helping Verb (have/has) + Past participle of main verb+ rest of the sentence along with time frame |
He has worshiped his mother always. |
| Present Perfect Continuous Tense |
Subject + Have/Has + Been + Verb+ ing + the rest of the sentence |
I have been eating this dish since I was a child. |
| Simple Past Tense |
Subject + Verb + ed/verb in the past tense + the rest of the sentence |
Simran slept for the rest of the day yesterday. |
| Past Continuous Tense |
Subject + Helping Verb(was/were) + Main verb + ing + the rest of the sentence |
It was raining today. |
| Past Perfect Tense |
Subject + Helping Verb (had) + Past participle of the main verb + the rest of the sentence along with the time frame. |
She had kept it a secret for 2 months. |
| Past Perfect Continuous Tense |
Subject + Had + Been + Verb + ing + the rest of the sentence |
Simran had been sleeping for 8 hours before her mother walked in. |
| Simple Future Tense |
Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object |
I will pray for your well-being. |
| Future Continuous Tense |
Subject + will be/shall be + V1 + ing + Object |
I will be mopping the floor tomorrow early in the morning. |
| Future Perfect Tense |
Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object |
She will have cooked dinner by then. |
| Future Perfect Continuous Tense |
Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object |
By April, I will have been writing you letters for 10 years. |
Tense Chart in Hindi
| Tenses (काल) – पहचान |
| |
Present |
Past |
Future |
| Indefinite |
ता है, ती है, ते, है
Do/ 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
|
Simple Tenses:
1. Present Simple Tense: These tenses express habitual action or the general truth of a person, such as “She wakes up early every morning”.The General Formula for Present Simple Tense is:
Subject + Verb in the base form/third person plural form + the rest of the sentence
2. Past Simple Tense: The past tense describes the actions that were completed in the past, “They played cricket yesterday”. The General formula for Past Simple Tense is:
Subject + Verb + ed/verb in the past tense + the rest of the sentence
3. Future Simple Tense: This tense generally indicates that an action that will occur in the future “I will go to school next morning”. The General Formula for Future Simple Tense is:
Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object
Continuous Tenses:
4. Present Continuous Tense: The present Continuous tense describes situations that are happening in the present such as,” They are playing cricket to practice for the tournament”. The General Formula for Present Continuous Tense is:
Subject + Helping Verb(am/is/are) + Main verb + ing + the rest of the sentence
5. Past Continuous Tense: This tense refers to actions that were happening in the past, such as “She was playing cricket when I called her”. The General Formula for Past Continous Tense is:
Subject + Helping Verb(was/were) + Main verb + ing + the rest of the sentence
6. Future Continuous Tense: This tense sows actions that generally going to happen within a specific time in the future. For example, “I will be working late tomorrow”. The General Formula for Future Continuous Tense is:
Subject + will be/shall be + V1 + ing + Object
Perfect Tenses:
7. Present Perfect Tense: This tense is actions that happened in the past but have a connection to the present like,” He has lived in this city for four years”. The General Formula for Present Perfect Tense is:
Subject + Helping Verb (have/has) + Past participle of the main verb + the rest of the sentence along with the time frame
8. Past Perfect Tense: The past perfect tense describes an action that happened before another past event, like”She had already eaten when he arrived”. The General Formula for Past Perfect Tense is:
Subject + Helping Verb (had) + Past participle of the main verb + the rest of the sentence along with the time frame.
9. Future Perfect Tense: This tense describes actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future, For Example “By this time next month, they will have finished their project”. The General Formula for Future Perfect Tense is:
Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object
Perfect Continuous Tenses:
10. Present Perfect Continuous: This is tense that emphasizes the particular duration of action that is ongoing which started in the past and continues to the present, Such as “I have been Studying all day”. The General Formula for Present Perfect Continuous is:
Subject + Have/Has + Been + Verb+ ing + the rest of the sentence
11. Past Perfect Continuous: The past perfect continuous describes the action that is generally initiated in the past and is still in progress in the past before some other action from the past began. The General Formula for Present Perfect Continuous is:
Subject + Had + Been + Verb + ing + the rest of the sentence
12. Future Perfect Continuous: This verb tense describes actions that will continue up until a point in the future. The General Formula for Present Perfect Continuous is:
Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object
Let’s examine the structure of the tense chart:
|
Tense
|
Forms
|
Examples
|
|
Present Tense
|
Simple Present Tense
|
She drives a car
|
|
Present Continuous Tense
|
She is driving a car
|
|
Present Perfect Tense
|
She has driven a car
|
|
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
|
She has been driving a car since the evening
|
|
Past Tense
|
Simple Past Tense
|
She drove a car
|
|
Past Perfect Tense
|
She was driving a car
|
|
Past Continuous Tense
|
She had driven a car
|
|
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
|
She had been driving the car since 5 am
|
|
Future Tense
|
Simple Future Tense
|
She will drive a car
|
|
Future Perfect Tense
|
She will be driving a car
|
|
Future Continuous Tense
|
She will have driven a car
|
|
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
|
She will have been driving the car at 5 am tomorrow.
|
Utilizing the Tense Chart
To make effective and perfect use of the Tense Chart, Consider the following steps:
- Check the Time Frame: While checking the action you need to check the time whether the action is happening in the future, past, or present. The only thing you need to understand is to check the time frame of the sentences.
- Appropriate tense: Understand the time frame and then select the relevant tense for the same. After selecting the timeframe choose an appropriate tense to use in a sentence.
- Sentences need to be constructed: Understand the structure of the tense identify verbs, verb forms, and necessary adverbs or prepositions.
- Do practice: By practicing regularly will help you to get a better understanding and the usage of the different tenses. Learning the usage of tenses is not tough you need to practice it accordingly.
Conclusion
The Tense Chart is a valuable tool for English learners, which aids in the comprehension and application of several different verb tenses. By understanding properly the tense chart and by daily practicing it, you can easily navigate the intricacies of English Grammar, expressing yourself in any given situation. Remembering and mastering the tense chart may be quite tough but the consequences are amazing.
Tense Chart in English – FAQs
Can you mix tenses in a sentence?
Yes, it is acceptable to convey detailed information about the progression of events or activities in a sentence by using multiple tenses.
What do the tenses mean in grammar?
Verb forms termed as tenses are used to specify the present, past, or future tense of an action or event. The three basic tenses in English are present, past, and future, all of which have unique forms and applications.
What do compound tenses mean?
Auxiliary verbs like “have,” “has,” “had,” “will,” “shall,” and “be” are combined with the past or present participle of the main verb to create compound tenses.
What differentiates the future perfect tense from the future continuous?
The future perfect tense presents actions that will be finished before a specific time in the future, but the future continuous tense demonstrates ongoing actions in the future.
How can I better understand and use English’s tenses?
Training is crucial. Try to adapt the tenses you observe in different English-language readings and listening to your speaking and writing. Furthermore, GeeksforGeeks provide you the articles of tenses separately for better understanding.