User:ZlatoslavaPil
The English Tense System
[edit]Examples of tenses
[edit]Present Simple I do, I do do
Present Continuous I am doing
Present Perfect I have done
Present Perfect Continuous I have been doing
Past Simple I did, I did
Past Continuous I was doing
Past Perfect I had done
Past Perfect Continuous I had been doing
Future Simple I will do
Future Continuous I will be doing
Future Perfect I will have done
Future Perfect Continuous I will have been doing
Impornant notice
[edit]Many English learners worry too much about tense. If you stopped 100 native English speakers in the street and asked them about tense, 1 of them might give you an intelligent answer - if you were lucky. The other 99 would know little about terms like "past perfect" or "present continuous". And they would know nothing about aspect, voice or mood. But they can all speak fluent English and communicate effectively. Of course, for ESL it helps to know about tenses, but don't become obsessed with them. Be like those native speakers! Speak naturally!
Additional implications
[edit]- Some grammarians consider that strictly-speaking there are only two English tenses. Others argue six or other quantities. For the sake of simplicity, Learners of English as a Foreign or Second Language are usually taught that - taking into account aspect and future modals - there are 12 tenses in English.