This document provides an overview of the different tenses in English, including the present simple, present continuous, and future tenses. It discusses how each tense is used and provides examples. The key tenses covered are the present simple, present continuous, and future meanings of the present simple and present continuous. Examples are provided to illustrate the different uses of each tense.

1. TENSES
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: RAMISH
NAZIR

2. TENSES: TYPES
• The word tense comes
from the Latin word
Tempus, which means
‘time’. In English
Language, we have 12
tenses in total.
PRESENT
SIMPLE
PAST
SIMPLE
FUTURE
SIMPLE
PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
PAST
CONTINUOUS
FUTURE
CONTINUOU
S
PRESENT
PERFECT
PAST PERFECT FUTURE
PERFECT
PRESENT
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
FUTURE
PERFECT
CONTINUOU
S

3. A. THE PRESENT SIMPLE: USE
We use Present Simple for:
• Thoughts and feelings e.g.: I think so, I like it.
• States, things staying the same, facts, things that are true for a long time e.g.
We live quite near.
• Repeated Actions: We come here every week.
• Also in phrases like I promise, I agree etc. e.g. I promise I’ll pay you back.
• In a negative question with why to make a suggestion: Why don’t we go
out?
• For the Future meaning of the Present Simple: The new term starts next
week.

4. B. PRESENT SIMPLE: POSITIVE FORMS
EXAMPLES
With 1st Person & 2nd Person Singular
and Plural AND 3RD Person Plural, Use
Sing. Verb
With 3rd Person Singular, Use Plural Verb
• I get the lunch ready at one o’clock,
usually.
• It gets busy at weekends.
• We always do our shopping at
Greenway.
• My husband thinks so, too.
• Most children like ice-cream. • Sarah catches the early train.
• You know the answer. • She faxes messages all over the world.

5. C. PRESENT SIMPLE: NEGATIVES AND QUESTIONS
 EXAMPLES
We do NOT add ‘s’ to the verbs in negatives and questions.
• NOT He doesn’t gets and NOT Does he gets?
1ST Person and 2nd Person
Singular and Plural
3rd Person Singular
• We don’t live far away. • He doesn’t want to go to
shopping.
• Do you live here? Yes, I do. • What does he want? Nothing!

6. SAMPLE EXERCISES:
Look at each underlined verb and say what kind of a meaning it expresses. Is it a thought, a feeling, a
fact, or a repeated action, a phrase, negative question or future meaning of present?
• Mathew loves sport. • I usually go to work by bus.
• Sarah often works late at the office. • I’m hungry. I want something to eat.
• I hate quiz programmes • I think so, I like it.
• We play table tennis every Thursday. • We live quite near.
• The computer belongs to Emma. • We come here every week.
• These plates cost 20 pounds each. • I promise I’ll pay you back.
• I believe it’s the right thing to do. • Why don’t we go out?
• It’s okay. I understand your problem. • I agree with you.

7. CONTINUED…
• I think it’s a good
programme.
• Reporting means a
lot to her.
• I promise I’ll write
to you.
• Kitty likes her job. • Paper burns easily. • It’s all right. I forgive
• She considers him a
a good choice.
• Ice melts at room
temperature.
• I refuse this offer
you just gave to me.

8. SAMPLE EXERCISES: CONTINUED
Complete the sentences by putting in the verbs. Use the present simple. You have to
decide if the verb is positive or negative.
• Claire is very sociable. She -knows------ (know) lots of people.
• We’ve got plenty of chairs. Thanks! We –do not/ don’t want------- (want) anymore.
• My friend is finding life in Paris a bit difficult. He --speaks---- (speak) French.
• Most students live quite close to the college, so they --walk----- (walk) here.
• My sports kit is really muddy. This shirt --needs----- (need) a good wash.
• I’ve got four cats and dogs. I --love------- (love) animals.

9. • No breakfast for Mark., thanks. He –doesn’t eat----- (eat) breakfast.
• What’s the matter. You -looks----- (look) very happy.
• Don’t try to ring the bell. It --works------ (work).
• I hate telephone answering machines. I just –don’t like--- (like) talking
to them.
• Mathew is good at badminton. He -wins---- (win) every game.
• We always travel by bus. We -own---- (own) a car.

10. THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS
The present continuous means that we are in the middle of an action. For example:
• I am looking or I’m looking. You/we/they –are looking----- he/she/it –is looking-----
• SIMPLE • NEGATIVE • QUESTION
• I am looking. • I am not looking • Am I looking?
• I’m getting the lunch
ready.
• I am not getting the lunch
lunch ready
• Am I getting the lunch
ready?
• We’re looking for a post
office.
• We’re not looking for a
post office.
• Are we looking for a post
office?
• The train is coming, look. • Rachel isn’t wearing her
new dress.
• Who is Vicky dancing
with?
• What are you doing?

11. CONTINUED… PRESENT CONTINUOUS WITH
DIFFERENCE IN MEANINGS
• I’m waiting for the train. _____ (you are in the train now)
• I’m getting the lunch ready.
• I must get back to the office. We’re working on a new project. (when you’re in the
middle of an action, but not actually doing anything at the moment of speaking.)
• I’m quite busy these days. I’m doing a new course at college.
• The number of cars on the road is increasing. (when things gradually change over a
long period.)
• The earth is slowly getting warmer.
• I’m playing badminton with Mathew tomorrow. (future meaning of the present
continuous)

12. PRESENT CONTINUOUS OR SIMPLE?
Now or Sometimes?
• PRESENT CONTINUOUS ____ NOW • PRESENT SIMPLE ______ SOMETIMES
• Kitty: I’m speaking to you live from
the White House.
• Kitty: I often speak live to the
camera. I love that part of the job.
• It’s raining at the moment. • It always rains at the weekend.
• I’m watching this programme. • I watch television most weekends.
• Look, that man is taking a photo of
you.
• He’s a photographer. He takes lots
of photos.

13. CONTINUED…PRESENT CONTINUOUS OR SIMPLE?
Temporary or Permanent?
• For a routine or situation we see as
‘TEMPORARY’.
• For a routine or situation we see as
‘PERMANENT’.
• I’m working at a sports shop for
six weeks.
• I work at a sports shop. It’s a
permanent job.
• They are living in a small
apartment at the moment.
• They live in a very small
apartment.

14. PRESENT SIMPLE OR PRESENT CONTINUOUS: USE OF THE
ADVERB “ALWAYS”
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Always with Present Cont. means ‘very
often’ or ‘too often’
PRESENT SIMPLE
Always with Present Simple means ‘every
time’
• Tom is always inviting friends here.
(He invites them very often.)
• Tom always invites us to stay at
Christmas. (= He invites us every
Christmas.)
• I’m always making silly mistakes. (= I
make silly mistakes too often.)
• I always make silly mistakes in exams.
exams. (= I make mistakes in every
exam)

15. PRESENT TENSES FOR THE FUTURE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
• We use Present Continuous for the Future mainly for “arrangements”. We use present continuous for
what someone has arranged to do in future. Look in the conversation below:
Ali: Are you doing anything this evening?
Ahmed : Yes, I’m going to the cricket match. The Gladiators are playing the Qalandars.
Explanation: Here Ahmed has arranged to go to the match. (He has bought a ticket already.)
Some more examples of the Future meaning of the Present Continuous:
• I’m meeting Tina at six o’clock. David is coming around 7 p.m. Sarah is going to Paris next
week.

16. FUTURE MEANING OF THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS
• Look at the use of some phrases and the meaning of sentences in the Present Continuous Tense used to talk
something about the Future :
• We’re having a party at the moment. _________ Simple Present Cont.
• We’re having a party next week. ________ Future meaning of the Present Cont.
EXPLANATION: Here the ‘phrase of time’ shows whether we mean the present or the future.
• We’re having a party next week. (it means that we have already made the arrangements for the party that is
next week.)
• We’re going to have a party next week. (We intend to/ We have decided to have a party in the next week.)
EXPLANATION: The Present Continuous for the future have and ‘be going to’ have nearly similar meanings, but
sometimes the sense of the sentence is slightly different.

17. FUTURE MEANING OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE
• We can use Present Simple for the Future when we are talking about the timetable, usually a public one
such as a train timetable. We usually add ‘time phrases’ in such cases. Look at the examples below:
Tina: What time does your train leave tomorrow?
Sarah: Seven twenty-three in the morning. It gets into Paris at eleven twenty-three.
Some other examples:
• The train leaves at seven twenty-three tomorrow morning.
• The match starts at half past seven.
• I’ve got the tour details here. We spend three days in Rome.
• How to use Future meaning of the Present Simple for Repeated Actions:
• The train leaves at seven twenty-three every morning.

18. ANOTHER USE OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE FOR THE FUTURE
Use of ‘Be to’ and ‘Be about to’
We use be to for a future event that is officially
arranged. For example:
We use be about to for the very near future. For
example:
• The Queen is to visit Portugal in November. • The plane is at the end of the runway. It is
about to take off.
• The Student Games are to take place in
Melbourne next year
• Do you want to say goodbye to our visitors.
They’re about to leave.
We can also use the Present Continuous with this
structure:
• The Queen is visiting Portugal in November.
• I just had my appointment with the doctor. I am
about to go.

19. THANK YOU!
Hope it helped 