English Classroom:Present Tenses

English Grammar and Exercises

Present Simple Tense

(example : to play)

Affirmative	Negative		Interrogative
	Long Form	Contracted Form

I play	I do not play	I don’t play	Do I play?
You play	You do not play	You don’t play	Do you play?
He/she/it plays	He/she/it does not play	He/she/it doesn’t play	Does he/she/it play?
We play	We do not play	We don’t play	Do we play?
You play	You do not play	You don’t play	Do you play?
They play	They do not play	They don’t play	Do they play?

The present simple tense is used :

To talk about regular activities :
- John plays tennis once a week.
- We start work at 9 a.m. every morning.
- Mary goes to visit her parents on Sundays.
- Alex takes the bus every day.

To talk about tastes :
- Peter likes Chinese food.
- Julie doesn’t like classical music.
- Most children love chocolate.
- Eva hates most sports but she enjoys swimming.

To talk about facts :
- The sun rises in the east.
- In Europe, the weather is cold in winter.
- Authors write books and articles.
- Students go to school or attend college.

Present Continuous Tense

(example : to play)

Affirmative	Negative		Interrogative
	Long Form	Contracted Form

I am playing	I am not playing	I’m not playing	Am I playing?
You are playing	You are not playing	You’re not playing	Are you playing?
He/she/it is playing	He/she/it is not playing	He/she/it’s not playing	Is he/she/it playing?
We are playing	We are not playing	We’re not playing	Are we playing?
You are playing	You are not playing	You’re not playing	Are you playing?
They are playing	They are not playing	They’re not playing	Are they playing?

The present continuous tense is used:

To talk about continuous activities :
At the time of speaking :
- I am reading this page now.
Around now, in a more general sense :
- I am learning English this year.

To talk about planned future activities or intentions :
- Tom and Mary are coming to dinner tomorrow. They called to confirm.
- I am spending my holidays in Australia. I have already booked my flight.

Present Perfect Tense

(example : to do)

Present Perfect Simple

Affirmative	Negative		Interrogative
	Long Form	Contracted Form

I have done	I have not done	I haven’t done	Have I done?
You have done	You have not done	You haven’t done	Have you done?
He/she/it has done	He/she/it has not done	He/she/it hasn’t done	Has he/she/it done?
We have done	We have not done	We haven’t done	Have we done?
You have done	You have not done	You haven’t done	Have you done?
They have done	They have not done	They haven’t done	Have they done?


Present Perfect Continuous
Affirmative	Negative		Interrogative
	Long Form	Contracted Form

I have been doing	I have not been doing	I haven’t been doing	Have I been doing?
You have been doing	You have not been doing	You haven’t been doing	Have you been doing?
He/she/has been doing	He/she/it has not been doing	He/she/it hasn’t been doing.	Has he/she/it been doing?
We have been doing	We have not been doing	We haven’t been doing	Have we been doing?
You have been doing	You have not been doing	You haven’t been doing	Have you been doing?
They have been doing	They have not been doing	They haven’t been doing	Have they been doing?

The present perfect is used to refer to actions which take place in an unfinished time period up to the time of speaking.

The present perfect continuous tense is used to refer to an action which started in the past and continues today. It emphasises the uninterrupted progress of an action.
- I have been learning English since September. (I started in September and I continue to take lessons today.)
The present perfect simple is used to refer to the finished part of a continuous action. It emphasises the completion of an action and its results
- I have learnt new vocabulary.
- I have revised some grammar rules. (My English course is not finished, but I have finished some of the lessons.)

Example: Today is your English Revision day. It is now 2 p.m. At 9 o’clock this morning you started your revision work. At 2 pm the day is not finished, so you can say : “I have been revising my English since 9 o’clock this morning.” (You are still revising your English, so the continuous form is used.)

However, you have completed part of the revision work, so you can say, for example: “So far today I have revised tenses and irregular verbs.” N.B. If you refer to a specific time earlier in the day, you must use the Past Simple : “This morning I revised tenses and irregular verbs.” or, “I met Charlie for lunch at 12.30” The following should be noted: 1) Some verbs can be used in both forms with no change in meaning. With some verbs such as live and work, the present perfect simple OR continuous can generally be used with no difference in meaning.

I’ve lived/I’ve worked here for 10 years.
I’ve been living/I’ve been working here for 10 years.

However, only the present perfect simple is used with ‘always‘.

I’ve always lived here NOT I’ve always been living here.

2) Stative Verbs Stative verbs have no continuous form. Stative verbs are verbs that denote possession, mental states or emotions, for example: own, belong, know, believe, like, wish … We can say: “I’ve known Bob for 20 years” NOT “I have been knowing Bob for 20 years“.

PRESENT PERFECT

The present perfect is used to refer to actions which take place in an unfinished time period up to the time of speaking, and allows the speaker to link past actions or situations to the present time.

Continuous form :
- Actions started in the past which continue until now.
  - I have been reading this book since last Monday.
Simple form :
- The completed or finished part of a continuous action.
  - I have read the first three chapters of the book.
- Events that have just occurred, with no specific time mentioned.
  - A plane has just crashed near the coast.
- A past action with a result in the present.
  - I’ve broken my arm. I can’t drive.
- Experiences and accomplishments up to now.
  - I’m a writer. I’ve written 5 novels and several short stories.

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