Simple Tenses

What Are the Simple Tenses?

• The simple tense is a category of verb tense. It covers the simple past
tense, the simple present tense, and the simple future tense.

• The three simple tenses are used to describe actions without

specifically stating whether the actions are completed or ongoing.

• Be aware that the simple present tense is an oddity. Despite its name,
it is not always about activities in the present. The simple present
tense can be used for activities that are not currently happening, and
it can be used for future events.
Examples of Verbs in the Simple Tense

The Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense describes a completed activity that happened in
the past. In other words, the activity started in the past and ended in
the past. For example:
• I went.
• He saw.
The Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is a complex tense. It is used:

Use
(1) To describe facts and habits
(2) To describe scheduled events in
the future
(3) To tell stories (particularly jokes) to
make your listener or reader feel more
engaged with the story
Examples
•Lee loves pies. (Fact)
•I play chess on Tuesdays. (Habit)
(NB: These activities do not have to
be happening right now.)
•The plane arrives at 7 o'clock.
•The sun rises at 0530 tomorrow.
(I know! It's supposed to be the
present tense!)
•A skeleton walks into a bar and says
"Give me a beer and a mop."
• Examples of the Simple Present Tense
• The simple present tense is used:
(1) To describe facts and habits:I like chocolate. (Fact)
• Angela runs a youth club full of glue-sniffers. (Fact)
• I ride horses in the summer. (Fact and habit)
• It always snows here in January. (Fact and habit)
• Dawn plays chess in the evenings. (Fact and habit)
• (NB: These activities do not have to be happening right now.)
This type of sentence, especially if it's describing a habit, will usually include a
time expression like always, every year, never, often, on
Mondays, rarely, sometimes, or usually.
• (2) To describe scheduled events in the futureThe train gets in at 5 o'clock.
• It is low tide at 0234.
• (Yep, I know! It's supposed to be the present tense!)
(3) To tell stories (particularly jokes) to make your listener or reader feel
more engaged with the story.A horse walks into a bar, and the
barman says, "why the long face?"
• (Compare to: A horse walked into a bar, and the barman said, "why the
long face?")We heard the helicopter overhead. Suddenly, the
radio bursts into life.
• (This is sometimes called the fictional present or the historic present.)
• The Negative Version
• To create a negative sentence, use "do not" + [base form of the verb]. (Use
"does not" with third person singular (he / she / it).) For example:
• I do not like chocolate.
• Angela does not run a youth club full of glue-sniffers.
• I do not ride horses in the summer.
• It does not always snow here in January.
• Dawn does not play chess in the evenings.
• In speech and writing (especially informal writing), do not is often
shortened to don't, and does not is often shortened to doesn't. If you want
to add some emphasis, use one of the long versions (i.e., do not or does
not), and emphasize the word not.
• The Question Version
• Do I like chocolate?
• Does Angela run a youth club full of glue-sniffers?
• Why does it always snow here in January?
• When does Dawn play chess?
The 4 Present Tenses Example
simple present tense I go
present progressive tense I am going
present perfect tense I have gone
present perfect progressive tense I have been going
Uses of the Simple Past Tense

• Here are some examples of the simple past tense (shaded):The

Martians landed near the aqueduct.
• The burglar considered using the fire escape.
• Of course, you can also have the negative version, which is formed
"did not" + "[verb in base form]":The Martians did not land near the
aqueduct.
• (We could have used didn't instead of did not.)The burglar did not
consider using the fire escape.
• And the question versions:Did the Martians land near the aqueduct?
• Why didn't the burglar consider using the fire escape?
• The Simple Past Tense with Time Expressions
• The simple past tense is often seen with a time expression explaining when the activity
took place or how long it lasted.
Examples of "when an activity took place":On Tuesday last week, the
Martians landed near the aqueduct.
• ("On Tuesday last week" tells you when it happened. It's called an adverbial phrase of
time. Other examples are"Yesterday," "Last year," "Before breakfast,". They are really
common. When any adverb appears at the front of a sentence, it is usual to follow it with
a comma. A comma is not usually used when the adverbial phrase appears at the back of
a sentence. NB: This is not a strict rule. Use a comma if it helps your reader.)
• Read more about commas with adverbial phrases.The Martians landed near the
aqueduct on Tuesday last week.
• (Note: No comma)Just before he was caught, the burglar considered using the fire
escape.
• ("Just before he was caught" tells you when the activity took place.)
• Examples of "how long an activity took":Last week, the council inspected the drains.
• ("Last week" tells you when it happened and for how long.)Her daughter hid under the
bed for three hours.
• (Using "for" is a common way of describing how long an activity lasted.)
The 4 Past Tenses Example
simple past tense I went
past progressive tense I was going
past perfect tense I had gone
past perfect progressive tense I had been going
The Simple Future Tense
The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the
future. For example:I will go.
He will see.
• Examples of the Simple Future Tense
• Here are some examples of the simple future tense (shaded):The Moscow
State Circus will perform in Cheltenham next year.
• We will celebrate our anniversary by flying to New York.
• Of course, you can also have the negative version, which is formed "will
not" + "[verb in base form]":The Moscow State Circus will not perform in
Cheltenham next year.
• We won't celebrate our anniversary by flying to New York.
• (Note: "Will not" can be shortened to "won't" in English.)
• And the question versions:Will the Moscow State Circus perform in
Cheltenham next year?
• Will we celebrate our anniversary by flying to New York?
The simple future is one of four future tenses.
They are:
The Future Tenses Example
simple future tense I will go
future progressive tense I will be going
future perfect tense I will have gone
future perfect progressive tense I will have been going