Present tense is used in every sentence that expresses an action that is happening currently. The four tenses in present tense are as follows.
1. Simple Present Tense
| Structure: Subject + Verb 1 (V1) + Object |
It used to express:
- A habitual action.
- I go for a walk everyday in the morning.
- Raju attends mathematics class every evening.
- He goes to his grandfather’s village every month.
- Federer plays Tennis on Sundays.
- I take my dinner at 8pm.
- To express universal truths.
- The sun rises in the east.
- Two plus two equals
- Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
- To describe a future incident that is planned, or certainly is going to happen.
- India plays the world cup cricket this year.
- The President attends the award ceremony this evening.
- That school reopens on the first of June.
- If two actions of the future are being talked in a single sentence, one of the actions should be in simple present and the other in simple future tense.
- They shall go when the car arrives.
- Ravi shall eat once the food arrives.
Tip: Whenever the following words are present in the sentence, this particular tense should be used.
| Usually | Frequently | Rarely | Seldom |
| Never | Often | Sometimes | Generally |
| Always | Everyday | Every week | Monthly |
| Yearly | Daily | Every month |
Note: Some verbs should be expressed in simple present tense and never in present continuous tense. They are:
| Love | Hate | Dislike | Like |
| Understand | Know | Believe | Forget |
| Agree | Disagree | Own | Belong |
| Possess | Hear | See | Smell |
| Taste | Feel | Have | Consist |
2. Present Continuous Tense
|
Structure: Subject + is/am/are + Verb 1 + ing + Object |
- I – Am, We – Are, You – Are, He – Is, She – Is, It – Is, They – Are
It is used to denote an action that is currently happening.
- I am currently working on a project.
- The teacher is writing on the blackboard.
- She is cooking
- That man is mowing the lawn.
- They are watching the picture.
Any action that is planned to happen in the near future is also written in this tense.
- I am meeting my professor after this lecture.
- I am cooking my dinner tonight.
3. Present Perfect Tense
| Structure: Subject + has/ have + verb 3 (V3) + Object |
It is used to describe the actions that are just completed.
- I have just watched a movie.
- The bus has just begun.
- Ram has just finished his work.
- They have just gone out.
Clue: If the sentences have “just, just now, already, so far, yet, recently, ever, lately” in them, this particular tense should be used.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used to express any action that has started in the past and is still continuing in the present
| Structure: Subject + has/have + been + Verb 1 + ing + object |
- I have been walking on this path for 2 years.
- We have been listening to music since 8 PM.
- They have been waiting for their flight for an hour.
- It has been crawling on the floor since 2PM.
This tense is mainly used to highlight the time period of the action that is happening.
For remaining Tenses Click here
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