Present &Past Tense

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Present Tense - Explore Meaning, Definition, Structure, Types, Rules and Examples

In the English language, tense is used to represent the time of an action. Among the three English tenses, the present tense is used to talk about what is happening in the current time. In this article, you will learn the definition, structure, rules of usage along with examples.

Table of Contents

• What is the Present Tense?
  • Definition of Present Tense
• Types of Present Tense
• Structure of Present Tense
• Examples of Present Tense

What is the Present Tense?

The present tense refers to the action or event that takes place or is taking place in the present. It represents the current activity or the present state of being of the subject in the given context.

Types of Present Tense

The present tense can be used in four different forms namely,

• Simple Present Tense – used to indicate the current action or an action that takes place regularly.
• Present Continuous Tense – used to denote an action that is continuing at the present moment.
• Present Perfect Tense – used to indicate an action that is used to denote an action that is indefinite and still has its effect on the subject or object in the sentence.
• Present Perfect Continuous Tense – used to represent an action that began in the recent past and is still continuing.

Structure of Present Tense

Have a look at the following table to understand the structure of the present tense.

Structure of Present Tense
Simple Present Tense	Present Continuous Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Subject + Verb in the base form/third person plural form + the rest of the sentence	Subject + Helping Verb(am/is/are) + Main verb+ing + the rest of the sentence	Subject + Helping Verb (have/has) + Past participle of the main verb + the rest of the sentence along with the time frame	Subject + Have/Has + Been + Verb+ing + the rest of the sentence
Example: I go to school everyday. He plays cricket.	Example: Tharun is watching a movie. They are planning a birthday party for their friend.	Example: Venu has left the hall I have reached home.	Example: They have been waiting for you for a long time. Archana has been checking her phone every now and then.

lso, take a look at the following table to understand how the general format in which the present tense behaves in the positive, negative and imperative format.

Positive	Negative	Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
Subject + Verb	Subject + Do not/Does not (Don’t/Doesn’t) + Verb	Do/Does + Subject + Verb	Don’t/Doesn’t + Subject + Verb
Example: She likes pizzas.	Example: She does not like pizzas.	Example: Does she like pizzas?	Example: Doesn’t she like pizzas?

Examples of Present Tense

Given below are a few examples of the present tense.

                           Present Indefinite Example

• I Play the cricket.
• He plays the cricket.
• you play the cricket.

                                Negative Example

          I do not play cricket.

          She does not play cricket.

          You do not play cricket.

                               Interrogative Tense

• Do you play a cricket.
• Does she play the cricket/
• Do I play the cricket.

                                                                                                                                                                           

              

                        

                                   Past Tense

The past tense is a verb tense used for a past activity or a past state of being. For example:

• I jumped in the lake.
(This is a past activity.)
• I was happy.
(This is a past state of being.)

Types of Past Tense

The past tense has four different forms to indicate the varied nature of actions that happened in the past. They are:

• Simple Past Tense – used to indicate an action or event that happened in the past.
• Past Continuous Tense – used to depict an action or event that was continuing in the past.
• Past Perfect Tense – used to represent an event or action that happened in the past before another event or action that happened in the past.
• Past Perfect Continuous Tense – used to denote an action or event that was taking place in the past until another action or event happened in the past.

Structure of Past Tense

In order to understand the structure of the past tense, take a look at the following table.

Structure of Past Tense
Simple Past Tense	Past Continuous Tense	Past Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Subject + Verb + ed / verb in the past tense + the rest of the sentence	Subject + Helping Verb(was/were) + Main verb+ing + the rest of the sentence	Subject + Helping Verb (had) + Past participle of the main verb + the rest of the sentence along with the time frame	Subject + Had + Been + Verb+ing + the rest of the sentence
For example: Nathan met me at the park.	For example: It was raining.	For example: Tony had eaten his dinner before we reached the venue.	For example: Sharan had been practising the guitar when the teacher called for him.

It would be even better if you also learn how the structure of a sentence using the past tense form of the verb changes when used in the positive, negative, interrogative or negative interrogative formats.

Positive	Negative	Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
Subject + Past tense form of the verb	Subject + Did not / Didn’t + Base form of the verb	Did + Subject + Base form of the verb	Didn’t + Subject + Base form of the verb
For example: She sang a song.	For example: She did not sing a song.	For example: Did she sing a song?	For example: Didn’t she sing a song?

Examples of Past Tense

Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative	Negative Interrogative
I forgot to send the file.	Did I forget to send the file?	I did not forget to send the file.	Did I not forget to send the file?
I missed my old days.	Did I miss my old days?	I did not miss my old days.	Did I not miss my old days?
He joined the conversation.	Did he join the conversation?	He did not join the conversation.	Did he not join the conversation?
We arranged a farewell program.	Did we arrange a farewell program?	We did not arrange a farewell program.	Did we not arrange a farewell program?
You failed in English.	Did you fail in English?	You did not fail in English.	Did you not fail in English?