1. Present Tense
It describes actions that are happening now, habits, or general truths.
- Present Simple: Used for facts, habits, or regular actions.
- Example: She eats breakfast every day.
- Present Continuous (Progressive): Used for actions happening at the moment of speaking or around the present time.
- Example: I am eating lunch right now.
- Present Perfect: Used to describe actions that happened at an unspecified time before now, or actions that started in the past and continue into the present.
- Example: I have lived here for five years.
- Present Perfect Continuous: Used for actions that started in the past and are still continuing, or have recently stopped, with emphasis on the duration.
- Example: I have been working for three hours.
2. Past Tense
It describes actions that have already happened.
- Past Simple: Used for actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
- Example: He went to the store yesterday.
- Past Continuous: Used to describe an action that was happening at a specific moment in the past or to show two actions happening at the same time.
- Example: I was reading when she called.
- Past Perfect: Used to show that one action happened before another action in the past.
- Example: She had already left when I arrived.
- Past Perfect Continuous: Used to describe an action that was ongoing in the past before another action occurred.
- Example: They had been waiting for hours when the bus finally arrived.
3. Future Tense
It describes actions that will happen.
- Future Simple: Used for actions that will happen in the future or to make predictions.
- Example: I will go to the party tomorrow.
- Future Continuous: Used to describe actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future.
- Example: At 8 PM, I will be studying.
- Future Perfect: Used to express an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
- Example: By next week, I will have finished the project.
- Future Perfect Continuous: Used for actions that will be ongoing until a certain point in the future.
- Example: By next year, she will have been working here for ten years.