Present tenses

There are two tenses in English: past and present. The present tense is used to talk about
the present and to talk about the future.
There are four present tense forms:

Present simple I work

Present continuous I am working

Present perfect I have worked

Present perfect continuous I have been working

We can use all these forms:

to talk about the present:
London is the capital of Britain.
He works at McDonald’s.
He is working at McDonald's.
He has worked there for three months now.
He has been working there for three months now.
to talk about the future:
The next train leaves this evening at 17.00.
I'll phone you when I get home.
He is meeting Peter in town this afternoon.
I'll come home as soon as I have finished work.
You will be tired out after you have been working all night.

Simple Present Tense

We use the simple present tense in the following conditions:
To show a fact or something that is always true
The sun rises on the east.
For activities that we do daily -regularly or habitually
I always get up early.
To express thoughts, feelings, opinions, and beliefs
I am happy. I think he is a good person.
For a planned action or an event that will happen in the future.
I leave today.
We use it in news, reported speech such as in sports commentaries, a narration of books and stories etc.
Donald Trump is in the City Council.
Here I am in New York.
For schedules, plans, and programs.
We have English on Wednesday at 8.00 p.m.

Formulating a Simple Present Tense

When the singular form of the subject or a singular pronoun is used, the verb is used in the simple present
tense by adding a ‘-s’ to it. For example,
This person often goes to the library.
When does the flight to Seychelles depart from Mumbai airport?
I always wake up at 6 am.
We agree with most of your plan.
I like chocolates.
Subject + adverb + verb + info

He-she – it -verb +s

Negative: don’t: I – you – we – they

Doesn’t: he – she -it
I don’t get up late on Monday.
She doesn’t like chocolate.

Interrogative: Do/does
Do you live in BA? Yes, I do.
Does she work in the morning?
NO, she doesn’t.

Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is a tense used in present to indicate the action that has taken place at some
specific time. It uses auxiliary verb and past participle for the main verb. Some examples of present perfect
tense are:
I have watched this movie before.
He has completed his homework.
You will mostly use the present perfect in daily conversation while talking about some changes or
experiences, or when there is evidence.

Definition of Present Perfect Tense

We use the present perfect to indicate a link between the present and the past. In other words, the time of
the action is before now but not stated. This tense forms by have/has + the past participle.
I – you – we – they ; HAVE verb Participle
He – she- it: HAS verb participle
I have finished this book.
She has broken a glass.

Present Perfect Sentences for Describing

We use present perfect tense to describe:
An action or situation which began in the past and is continuing to the present.
I have lived in Mumbai since 1995. It means you are still living in Mumbai.
An action performed during a period that has not finished yet.
He has been to the zoo this month. It means the month is not over yet.
A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and present.
They have visited London multiple times.
An action that was completed in the very recent past. ‘Just’ is used to express it.
We have just completed our assignment.
An action when the time does not carry much importance.
She has read ‘Harry Potter’. Here, the result of her reading carries importance.
Please remember that, if you wish to give or ask details about when, where, who, you must use the simple
past.
JUST – ALREADY – YET – RECENTLY – BEFORE – FOR – SINCE
She has just arrived at the party.
She has already arrived. She is drinking with some friends in the garden.
Has Maria arrived yet?
She hasn’t arrived yet.
I have been to NY recently.
I have never been here before.
I have lived here for 8 years.
I have lived here since 2010.
I haven’t been to NY yet.
Have you ever been to Europe?
Yes, I have / No, I haven’t

Present Perfect continuous

I have worked for Coca Cola for 20 years.
I have been working for Coca Cola for 20 years. (Emphasize the duration of the activity)

Present continuous
There is a great difference between the Present Simple Tense and this. They differ in both, structure, and
use.

Definition of Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous Tense is a verb tense which we use to show that an ongoing action is occurring
now. It can be either at the moment of speech or now in a larger sense (to describe a picture). We also
refer to present continuous as present progressive.
We can also use of present continuous to show that an action is going to happen in the near future. In other
words, this verb tense denotes that an action or condition is happening now, frequently, or may continue in
the future.

The formula for Present Continuous is-

Subject + to be [am, is, are] + verb [gerund] ING
Uncle Ted is cooking dinner while Linda is looking for his new knife.
They are playing at John’s favorite park today, Greenview Park.
You can see how the present continuous adds energy and action to writing. Moreover, it impacts the
reader’s understanding of when the action is occurring.

Using Present Continuous Tense

We must use the present continuous tense with the appropriate ‘to be’ verb and a dynamic verb. In other
words, a dynamic verb indicates action and/or process. Let’s take a look at an example:
Raj’s younger brother is arriving at the restaurant one hour late because he is still working.
I am going to the dentist next Tuesday at 4.00 p.m. (future arrangement)
Not Using Present Continuous Tense
Always remember to never use the present continuous tense with stative verbs. Stative verbs indicate a
state of being which does not show qualities of change. These verbs can stay in the simple present. The
example below can help you understand it better:
Incorrect: Uncle Ted is preferring the strawberry pastries over the chocolate ones that Linda loves.
Correct: Uncle Ted prefers the strawberry pastries over the chocolate ones that Linda loves.
Over here, the stative verb to prefer shows opinion and must not be conjugated into the present
continuous. Stative verb categories comprise of emotion (to love), possession (to belong), and thoughts (to
recognize), and none of these should make use of the present continuous form.
Hate – like – believe – understand - etc