Tenses Review

Tenses tell us when an action happens -- past, present, or future. English has 12 tenses, and mastering them is essential for clear communication. Many Nepali students find tenses tricky because Nepali grammar handles time differently. Let us break them down systematically.

The 12 Tenses at a Glance

Present Tenses

Simple Present: For habits, facts, and routines. "She studies every day." "Water boils at 100 degrees C."

Present Continuous: For actions happening right now. "She is studying right now."

Present Perfect: For actions completed at an unspecified time, or that started in the past and continue. "She has studied three chapters." "I have lived in Kathmandu for five years."

Present Perfect Continuous: For actions that started in the past and are still continuing. "She has been studying since morning."

Past Tenses

Simple Past: For completed actions in the past. "She studied yesterday."

Past Continuous: For ongoing actions in the past. "She was studying when I called."

Past Perfect: For an action completed before another past action. "She had studied before the exam started."

Past Perfect Continuous: For ongoing past actions before another past event. "She had been studying for hours before the exam."

Future Tenses

Simple Future: For predictions or decisions. "She will study tomorrow."

Future Continuous: For ongoing future actions. "She will be studying at 8 PM."

Future Perfect: For actions that will be completed before a future time. "She will have studied all chapters by Friday."

Future Perfect Continuous: For ongoing actions up to a future point. "She will have been studying for three hours by then."

Signal Words

Present: always, usually, every day, right now, since, for, already

Past: yesterday, last week, ago, when, before, while

Future: tomorrow, next week, by the time, in two hours

Common Errors for Nepali Speakers

• Using simple present instead of present continuous: Wrong: "I go to school now." Correct: "I am going to school now."
• Forgetting the third-person 's': Wrong: "She go to school." Correct: "She goes to school."
• Confusing 'since' and 'for': Use 'since' for a specific point in time (since 2020), 'for' for a duration (for three years).

Key Takeaways

• There are 12 tenses: 4 for each time frame (past, present, future)
• Signal words help you identify which tense to use
• Simple tenses describe facts/completed actions; continuous tenses describe ongoing actions
• Perfect tenses connect two time periods