Present Tenses

Hello and welcome to my blog. This blog will post mainly about “English Grammar” and “Expressions” that we can use in our everyday life. For the first post, i’m going explain about the first type of Tenses we usually learn in school, the “Present Tense”. Present tense is used for actions in a time which is happening now. Present Tense is divided by four types depending on its usage.

1.      Simple Present Tense

Simple Present Tense is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements. This is the simplest tense to form. The formula is divided into 2 form depending on if the sentence is using verb or not.

Verbal Formula

(+) Subject + Verb 1 + Object (ex: She eats meatball.)

(-) Subject + Do + Not + Verb 1 + Object (ex: My lecturer do not smoke.)

(?) Do + Subject + Verb 1 + Object (ex: Do i write this letter?)

Nominal Formula

(+) Subject + am/is/are + Adverb/Noun/Adjective (ex: My sister is beautiful.)

(-) Subject + am/is/are + Not + Adv./Noun/Adj. (ex: I am not hungry.)

(?) am/is/are + Subject + Adv./Noun/Adj. (ex: Are you busy?)

2.      Present Continuous Tense

Present Continuous Tenses is used to express an activity that still going at this moment. This tense also has 2 form of formula depending on the presence of a verb.

Verbal Formula

(+) Subject + am/is/are + V1 + ing + Object (ex: My mother is cooking.)

(-) Subject + am/is/are + Not +V1 + ing + Object (ex: We are not cheating .)

(?) am/is/are + Subject + V1 + ing + Object (ex: Am i pushing myself too hard?)

Nominal Formula

(+) Subject + am/is/are + Adverb/Noun/Adjective (ex: My sister is beautiful.)

(-) Subject + am/is/are + Not + Adv./Noun/Adj. (ex: I am not hungry.)

(?) am/is/are + Subject + Adv./Noun/Adj. (ex: Are you busy?)

3.      Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified.

Verbal Formula

(+) Subject + Have/Has + Verb 3 + Object (I have finished my meal.)

(-) Subject + Have/Has + Not + Verb 3 + Object ( She has not eaten yet.)

(?) Have/Has + Subject + Verb 3 + Object (Has my mother come home yet?)

Nominal Formula

(+) Subject + Have/Has + Been + Adv./Noun/Adj. (I have been a teacher in this school.)

(-) Subject + Have/Has + Not + Been + Adv./Noun/Adj. (We have not been together since high school.)

(?) Have/Has + Subject + Been + Adv./Noun/Adv. (Has she been a doctor?)

4.      Present Perfect Continuous Tense

This form of tense usually expresses an activity that starts before now and now (still going).

Verbal Formula

(+) Subject + Have/Has + Been + V1 + ing + Object (I have been waiting for you.)

(-) Subject + Have/Has + Not + Been + V1 + ing + Object  (We have not been playing badminton until now.)

(?) Have/Has + Subject + Been + V1 + ing + Object ( Has my brother been swimming until now?)

Nominal Formula

(+) Subject + Have/Has + Been + Adv./Noun/Adj. (He has been a father for a little while.)

(-) Subject + Have/Has + Not +  Been + Adv./Noun/Adj. (We have not been there at the moment.)

(?) Have/Has + Subject + Been + Adv./Noun/Adj. (Has he been a teacher in this school?)

There we go, i have covered all four types of present tense for you to read and understand. Remember, practice makes perfect. So if you want to master all types of tenses, you just have to practice and use it in your everyday life. See you!