This document discusses the four present tenses in English: the present simple, present continuous, present perfect, and present perfect continuous. It explains how each tense is used to refer to present, future, or past time frames and situations. Context clues like time adverbials help determine when to use the present continuous for future arrangements. The present simple is also used for future schedules. Subordinate clauses often refer to future time relative to the main clause. Questions and negatives of the present simple add the auxiliary "do".
2. The Present Tenses
• There are four tenses that begin with a verb
in the present tense.
• The present simple
• The present continuous
• The present perfect
• The present perfect continuous
3. The Present Tenses
• The present simple and the present
continuous are used with reference to
present time.
• If you are talking about the general present
or about a regular or habitual action, you
use the present simple.
George lives in Birmingham.
They often phone my mother in London.
4. The Present Tenses
• If you are talking about something in the
present situation, you use the present
continuous.
He is playing tennis at the University.
I’m cooking the dinner.
5. The Present Tenses
• The present continuous is often used to
refer to a temporary situation.
He’s living in a flat at present.
6. The Present Tenses
• You use the present perfect or the present
perfect continuous when you are concerned
with the present effects of something which
happened at a time in the past, or which
started in the past but is still continuing.
Have you seen the film at the Odeon?
We’ve been waiting here since two o’clock.
7. The Present Tenses
• If you are talking about something which is
scheduled or timetabled to happen in the
future you can use the present simple tense.
The next train leaves at two fifteen in the
morning.
It’s Tuesday tomorrow.
8. The Present Tenses
• If you are talking about something which
has been arranged for the future, you can
use the present continuous. When you use
the present continuous like this, there is
nearly always a time adverbial like
‘tomorrow’, ‘next week’, or ‘later’ in the
clause.
The Brown’s are having a party next week.
9. The Present Tenses
• It is only in main clauses that the choice of
tense can be related to a particular time. In
subordinate clauses, for exampel ‘if’-clauses,
time clauses, and defining relative clauses,
present tenses often refer to a future time in
relation to the time in the main clause.
You can go at five, if you have finished.
10. The Present Tenses
• The present simple tense normally has no
auxiliary verb, but questions and negative
sentences are formed with the auxiliary ‘do’.
Do you live round here?
Does your husband do most of the cooking?
They don’t often phone during the week.
