TENSES | Notion

1. Tenses for Communication

Tenses help us express time of action: Present, Past, Future.

Simple Present: Habit/Fact/Daily Routine → I play cricket. S + V + O
Present Continuous: Action happening now → She is reading a book.
Present Perfect: Action just completed → I have eaten lunch.
Present Perfect Continuous: Action continuing from past till now → He has been studying for 2 hours.

Simple Past: Completed action → They went to school.
Past Continuous: Action happening in the past → I was watching TV.
Past Perfect: Action completed before another → She had finished homework before dinner.
Past Perfect Continuous: Ongoing action in past → He had been working there for 5 years.

Simple Future: Planned action → I will call you. (won’t … will not )
Future Continuous: Action continuing in future → They will be traveling tomorrow.
Future Perfect: Action completed in future → I will have finished my work by evening.
Future Perfect Continuous: Ongoing action in future → She will have been teaching for 10 years next year.

yellow Minimalist Id Card - 1.jpeg

Type	Formula	Example
**Simple Present
do /does**	Subject + V1 (+ s/es) + obj	She plays cricket.
I play cricket.	Habit, routine, facts, universal truth
Present Continuous =ing	Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + obj
( HE/SHE/IT/NAME … IS
I …. AM
YOU/WE/THEY…. ARE )	I am reading a book.	Action happening right now
Present Perfect = v3 Completed action	Subject + has/have + V3
(HAS… HE/SHE/IT/NAME
HAVE…I/WE/YOU/THEY )	They have finished homework.	Action just completed, result important , relevance is in present.
Present Perfect Continuous ( HAS/HAVE BEEN + Ving + SINCE/FOR + TIME )	Subject + has/have + been + V1 + ing + since/for +time + obj

Since … for a specific period of time / Starting / particular date

For…… Duration | He has been studying for 2 hours. | Action started in past and continuing till now |

Type	Formula	Example	Usage
Simple Past = v2	Subject + V2 + obj
did+not + v1	We visited Delhi.	Completed action in past
Past Continuous = ing	Subject + was/were + V1 + ing
( was… HE/SHE/IT/NAME/I
were… YOU/THEY/WE )	I was watching TV.	Action going on at a specific past time
Past Perfect = v3 completed action	Subject + had + V3	She had left before I arrived.	One action completed before another past action
Past Perfect Continuous	Subject + had + been + V1 + ing + since/for + time + obj	He had been working there for 5 years.	Action continuing for a period in the past