ALL 12 Verb Tenses in English… EXPLAINED! 🔥

Summary

In this video, the presenter breaks down the 12 tenses in English, making them easy to understand. The video starts with the simple tenses (present, past, and future), then moves on to continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses. Each tense is explained with examples and tips for when to use them, offering a clear breakdown of how and when to apply each one. The video emphasizes the ease of English tenses compared to other languages and provides a free PDF with a summary and test to solidify your understanding of the concepts.

Takeaways

• 😀 English has 12 tenses, but they can be categorized into 3 time frames: present, past, and future.
• 😀 In English, there are only 4 forms of the verb 'play' (play, plays, playing, and played), making it simpler compared to other languages like Spanish.
• 😀 The 3 main categories of tenses are: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.
• 😀 Simple tenses are used for general facts, routines, and habits. Example: 'I play the violin.'
• 😀 The present simple tense requires adding 's' for third-person singular (he, she, it). Example: 'She plays the violin.'
• 😀 The past simple tense is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past. Example: 'I studied French.'
• 😀 The future simple tense uses 'will' for predictions, promises, and decisions made at the moment of speaking. Example: 'I will get it.'
• 😀 Continuous tenses describe ongoing actions. For example, 'I am eating' (present continuous) or 'It was raining' (past continuous).
• 😀 Perfect tenses express actions that have an effect on the present (present perfect), past (past perfect), or future (future perfect).
• 😀 Perfect continuous tenses describe actions that started in the past and continue or are relevant to the present. Example: 'I have been teaching for 6 years.'

Q & A

What are the three main categories of tenses in English?

The three main categories of tenses in English are: present, past, and future. These categories are then divided further into different types of tenses.

How many tenses are there in English?

There are 12 tenses in total in English.

What are the four types of tenses within each category?

The four types of tenses within each category are: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.

How do we form the present simple tense for most subjects?

The present simple tense is formed using the base form of the verb. For most subjects, you just use the verb in its base form: I play, you play, we play, they play. The only exception is for he, she, and it, where an 's' is added: he plays, she plays, it plays.

What is the main use of the past simple tense?

The past simple tense is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past, which cannot be changed. Examples include actions from yesterday, last week, or even years ago.

How do we form the future simple tense?

The future simple tense is formed by using 'will' followed by the base form of the verb. For example: I will get it, she will give it, he will tell you.

What does the present continuous tense describe?

The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now, temporary situations, or continuous actions that are in progress, like 'I am studying' or 'She is living in New York'.

How is the past continuous tense formed?

The past continuous tense is formed by using the verb 'to be' in the past (was/were) followed by the '-ing' form of the main verb. For example: I was reading, she was cooking.

When do we use the present perfect tense?

We use the present perfect tense to talk about actions that happened in a time period that has not finished (e.g., today, this week, in my life) or actions that happened in the past but have a clear effect on the present.

What is the key difference between the past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses?

The past perfect tense is used when discussing two past actions, with one action happening before the other, while the past perfect continuous tense focuses on a continuous action that happened before another past action. For example: 'I had been studying' versus 'I had studied'.