Present tense

 Present tense

Present Tense for English Grammar

The Present Tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous

There are 3 main tenses:

1.   Pratibha prepares a cake (Present Tense)

2.   Pratibha prepared a cake (Past Tense)

3.   Pratibha will prepare a cake (Future Tense)

 

Tenses also let us know the state of an action within a particular time period- present past or future. Consider the following example with respect to present tense:

1.   I prepare myself a cup of coffee every morning. (Present Tense; habitual action)

2.   I am preparing a cup of coffee. (Present Continuous; an action in progress)

3.   I have just prepared a cup of coffee. (Present Perfect; an action started in the past and continues upto the present)

4.   I have been preparing coffee since last 5 minutes. (Present Perfect Continuous; length of time of an action)

 

As already established, Present Tense expresses actions describing the current events or state of being, or a state which is associated with the present.

 

Types of Present Tense for English Grammar

1. Simple Present (Sub + V1 + s/es + object)

It is used to denote universal truths, habitual actions and work done on daily basis or at particular intervals of time. Words like every day, sometimes, always, often,

usually , seldom, never, etc., often give a clue that the sentence is in simple present tense.

Examples:

·        The Earth revolves around the sun. (Universal truth)

·        I usually meet my friends on Sunday. (Habitual action)

·        She does not like to play (a Negative Sentence in Simple Present)

·        Do you want to watch a movie tonight? ( An Interrogative sentence in Simple Present)

Some more examples of Simple Present

1. They sleep in the evening.

2. When do they usually talk to each other?

3. The children are at school.

4. The earth goes round the sun.

5. Sahil brushes his teeth twice a day.

6. She gets up early every day.

7. They speak English in London.

8. I like reading suspense stories.

9. I like hind and science.

10. She doesn’t study Kannada on Monday.

 

Consider the following tables:

Auxiliary Verb-(providing supplementary or additional help and support.)

 

Subject	Auxiliary Verb	Negation	Main Verb	Object
I, We, You, They			play	keyboard
He, She, It			plays	keyboard
I, We, You, They	do	not	play	keyboard
He, She, It	does	not	play	keyboard
Do	I/ we/ you/ they		play	keyboard?
Does	he/ she/ it		play	keyboard?

 

Subject	Main Verb	Negation	Object
I	am		strong
You, We, They	are		strong
He, She, It	is		strong
I	am	not	strong
You, We, They	are	not strong
He, She, It	is	not	strong

 

Main Verb	Subject	Object
Am	I	Strong?
Are	you, we, they	there?
Is	he, she, it	there?

 

 

1. Present Continuous/ Progressive (sub + is/am/are + v1 + ing + object )

It is used to express an on- going action which is taking place at the time of speaking. It may be a short-term or a long-term action. Words like now, at the moment, etc., often indicate that the sentence is in present continuous tense.

Examples:

·        I am eating an apple.

·        The children are getting ready for the party.

·        Priya is studying Mechanics this semester. (Long- term action: not necessarily happening right now)

·        I am working with an NGO. (Long- term action)

·        I am going to Tokyo next week. (a fixed plan for future)

 

Consider the following table:

Subject	Auxiliary Verb	Negation	Main Verb	Object
I	am		writing	an article
You	are		speaking	French
She	is		sipping	coffee
We	are		playing	hockey
He	is	not	working	hard
Is	she		studying	now?
Are	they	not	collecting	wood?

 

 

The following are basic examples of the present continuous tense. The verb tense in each sentence is underlined.

She is crying.

He is talking to his friend.

The baby is sleeping in his crib.

We are visiting the museum in the afternoon.

Present continuous tense can be used to express something happening right now or to express something that is not happening right now. Examples of this use include:

He is not standing.

Anita is sitting in the chair.

You are not watching the movie.

Sam is reading a book.

Present continuous tense can also be used to show that something will or will not happen in the near future. Examples of this use include:

he is not going to the game tonight.

She is meeting his friends after school.

Are you visiting your sister this weekend?

I am not going to the meeting before work.

Is Rahim playing football today?

 

2.  Present Perfect (sub + has/have + v3 + object)

It is used to show an action that started in the past and has just finished. It is also used to indicate a past action as continuing to the present moment. Words like just, yet, never, ever, already, so far, up to now, since, recently, etc., often indicate that the sentence is in present continuous tense.

Examples:

·        She has written a note.

·        We have broken the protocol.

·        She has worked as a freelance writer for 2 years. (The action started in the past and has continued until now.)

·        I have seen the movie. (talks about an experience from the past)

·        She has resided in Shanghai. (The action is that of the past but the memory is of now)

               I have bought a table. (Indicates change: something was not in the past but is now)

 

 

Consider the following table:

 

Subject	Auxiliary Verb	Negation	Main Verb	Object
I	have		read	the book
You	have		shook	my belief
She	has		been	to Moscow
We	have		brought	Lily home
He	has	not	married	yet
Has	she		prepared	tea?
Have	they		prayed?

 

Some More Examples of Present Perfect

·   Has lived: She has lived here all her life.

·   Have written: They have written three letters already.

·   Have worked: I have worked here since I graduated school.

·   Has done: He has finished his homework.

·   Have been: We have been to Canada.

·   Has forgotten: She has forgotten her folder.

 

2.  Present Perfect Continuous (sub + has/have + been + v1 + ing + object)

It describes an action which began at a particular point of time in the past and has continued till now (has not been completed yet). In these sentences the emphasis is on the length of time of an action. Usually, in this tense, time indicators such as for, since are mentioned which indicate the length of time.

Examples:

·        Prem has been working as a business analyst for 10 years. (The action started in the past and has continued until now.)

·        I have been going to the gym since last Saturday.

·        I am unwell because I have not been eating (I am unwell now because of an action that started in the past)

 

Consider the following table:

Subject	Auxiliary Verb	Negation	Auxiliary Verb	Main Verb	Object
I	have		been	waiting	for 2 hours
You	have		been	sleeping	a lot
It	has		been	raining	since last night
We	have	not	been	meeting	too frequently
Has	it	not	been	raining?
Have	you		been	eating	Well?

You can also go through the Part of Speech article after reading Present Tense for English Grammar to boost your exam preparation for this section:

 

Some More Examples of Present Perfect Continuous

·   I have been studying for three hours.

·   I have been watching TV since 7pm.

·   Tara hasn't been feeling well for two weeks.

·   Tara hasn't been visiting us since March.

·   He has been playing football for a long time.