The tense of a verb tells us the time (when) an action takes place. There are three primary tenses: 

1. Present Tense: We use the present tense if the action is happening now. 

2. Past Tense: We use the past tense to show an action that was completed in the past. 

3. Future Tense: We use the future tense to show an action that will be completed in the future1.

These three primary tenses are further divided into a total of twelve forms2. 

In this lesson, we will focus on learning six forms of tenses: Simple Present, Simple Past, Simple Future, Present Continuous, Past Continuous, and Future Continuous.

1A. The Present Tense

i. Simple Present Tense

We can use Simple Present Tense:

• To express a daily/habitual routine or a universal truth3

For instance: He exercises at the gym every evening after work.

• To narrate future events that are organised or scheduled3

For instance: The bus departs for the city every morning at 7 a.m.

ii. Present Continuous Tense

We can use Present Continuous Tense :

• To express an action going on at the time of speaking4

For instance: They are singing a song in the living room.

• For an action that is planned or arranged to take place in the near future4

For instance: We are meeting at the cafe for lunch tomorrow.

2A. The Past Tense

i. Simple Past Tense

We can use Simple Past Tense:

• To show an action completed in the past5

For example: He visited the historic museum last week.

ii. Past Continuous Tense

We can use Past Continuous Tense:

• To indicate an action going on at a specific time in the past5

For example: She was working as a cashier in April. 

• For an action that was ongoing in the past but got interrupted by other past action

For example: They were studying when the power went out. 

3A. The Future Tense

i. Simple Future Tense

We can use Simple Future Tense:

• To show an action that is yet to take place

For instance: We will attend the concert on Saturday.

ii. Future Continuous Tense

We can use Future Continuous Tense:

• To represent an action as going on at some point in the future2

For instance: He will be cooking dinner for us tonight.

Watch the video given below to recapitulate your understanding on Simple Past, Present and Future Tenses. 

(vid: 6.1. Simple Tenses: Present, Past and Future) 

Watch the video given below to recap your learning on Past, Present and Future Continuous Tenses. 

(vid: 6.2. Continuous Tenses: Present, Past and Future)