Tense and verb forms: past, present, progressive and perfect
Verbs carry time. This page covers past and present tense, the progressive and perfect forms, modal verbs and the Standard English forms children are expected to use.
Quick answer
- Key terms
- tense, past, present, progressive, present perfect, modal verb, Standard English
- Key idea
- Choose one tense and stay with it unless the meaning needs a change.
- Years
- Tense in Year 2, present perfect in Year 3, modal verbs in Year 5.
Past and present
English has two tenses made by changing the verb itself: present (walks) and past (walked). To talk about the future we use another word, such as will: She will walk.
Many past tenses end in -ed. Others are irregular and must be learnt: go, went; see, saw; bring, brought.
The progressive form
The progressive form shows an action in progress. It is made from be plus a verb ending in -ing. Present: she is drumming. Past: he was shouting.
The present perfect
The present perfect uses has or have plus the past participle. It links the past to now: I have lost my pencil (and I still have not got it). Compare with I lost my pencil yesterday, which is only about the past.
Modal verbs
Modal verbs go before another verb and show how possible or necessary something is: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must. It might rain shows a possibility. It will rain shows certainty. You must go shows necessity.
Standard English forms
In speech many people use local forms such as we was or I done it. In writing, children are asked to use the Standard English forms: we were, I did it. In Year 6, some very formal writing uses the subjunctive: If I were you, I would wait.
Quick quiz
8 questions. Answer them all, then check your score.
Questions
How many tenses does English have?
Strictly two that are made by changing the verb: past and present. The future is shown by other words such as will.
Related
Spelling lists and grammar terminology: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Appendices 1 and 2 (Crown copyright 2013), reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example sentences, tips, explanations and questions are by Litlings.