English Classroom:Present Tenses

English Language Classes

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
      So far in my English course :
    • 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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