GRAMMAR: Verb Tenses

VERB TENSES allow us to talk about time, to place an action or state of being in the past, present or future. In English, there are six basic tenses: present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, future perfect. In addition, the progressive and conditional forms are also used for special functions.

1. Present Tense: is used to express an action or to state a fact that is occuring at the present time.
2. Past Tense: is used to express an action or to help make a statement about something that occurred in the past and has not continued into the present.
3. Future Tense: is used to express an action or to help make a statement about something that will occur in the future.

1. Example: I live here. / I am living here. (progressive) /   I can live here. (conditional)
2. Example: I lived here. / I was living there. (progressive)
3. Example: I will live there. / I will be living there. (progressive) / I can be living there. (conditional)

PERFECT TENSES describe actions or states of being that happened at one time but are seen in relation to another time.

4. Present Perfect Tense: is used to express an action or to help make a statement about something occurring at an indefinite time in the past or something that has occurred in the past and continues into the present.
5. Past Perfect Tense: is used to express an action or to help make a statement about something completed in the past before some other past action or event.
6. Future Perfect Tense: is used to express an action or to help make a statement about something that will be completed in the future before some other future action or event.

4. Example: I have lived here for a long time. / I have been living here... (progressive) / I could have been living... (conditional)
5. Example: After I had lived here for a long time. / After I had been living... (progressive)
6. Example: By this October, I will have lived here for six months. / I will have been living... (progressive)