Tenses

Tenses are subject learned in English Grammar. Many people learn English Grammar especially in Tenses. They are still confused especially for EFL learners. For students who haven’t mastered English, they don’t understand how to use tenses. They still confuse with present tenses, past tenses and future tenses. English in Indonesia is the first Foreign Language so many people don’t understand English. For beginner English Learner, they need to learn Vocabulary, Grammar (especially Tenses). There are four kinds of tenses:

1.      Past Tenses

2.      Present Tenses

3.      Future Tenses

4.      Past Future Tenses

They can be expanded into sixteen tenses, but there are only twelve basic tenses. They are:

1.      Simple Past Tense

2.      Past Progressive Tense

3.      Past Perfect Tense

4.      Past Perfect Progressive Tense

5.      Simple Present Tense

6.      Present Progressive Tense

7.      Present Perfect Tense

8.      Present Perfect Progressive Tense

9.      Simple Future Tense

10.  Future Progressive Tense

11.  Future Perfect Tense and

12.  Future Perfect Progressive Tense

For beginners, they use memorizing method to learn tenses. I think this method is ineffective and out-of-date. The method they should take is by practicing in daily life little-by-little and every day.

These are examples for tenses:

Past Tense

The past tenses are used to tell something that happened in the past or something that is done in the past. E.g.:

1.      They worked. (simple past tense)

2.      They were working. (past progressive tense)

3.      They had worked. (past perfect tense)

4.      They had been working. (past perfect progressive tense)

Present Tense

It is used to something like general statement, habitual and something that is done in present.

1.      They work. (simple present tense)

2.      They are working. (present progressive tense)

3.      They have worked. (present perfect tense)

4.      They have been working. (present perfect progressive tense)

Future Tense

It is a statement for something that will happen or will be completed in the future. There are two kinds of future tense verbs ‘will’ and ‘be going to’.

1.      They will work. (simple future tense)

2.      They will be working. (future progressive tense)

3.      They will have worked. (future perfect tense)

4.      They will have been working. (future perfect progressive tense)

And use ‘be going to’

1.      They are going to work.

2.      They are going to be working.

Past Future Tense

It is the past form of the future tense. In short it is only abstract or something that is imaginary/unreal. But these sentences are rarely used in general.

1.      They would work. (simple past future)

2.      They would be working. (past future progressive tense)

3.      They would have worked. Past future perfect tense)

4.      They would have been working. (past future perfect progressive tense)