In English, there are tenses to talk about the present, the past and the future. When you are dealing with multiple tenses all at once, it can be quite difficult to know when to use a particular tense. That’s why you have a clear overview of the present tenses below.
When one talks about the present tenses, it is talking about one of the following:
Present tenses overview
On the overview above, you can see a visual representation of the different present tenses.
- Present simple: short, simple actions and habits in the present
- Present continuous: long actions in the present or when an action is going on
- Present perfect (continuous): actions when there is a clear link between the past and the present
Below you have a schematic overview of the different present tenses.
| Present simple | Present continuous | Present perfect | Present perfect continuous | |
| Use | Short actions, hobbies, habits | Actions that are going on or when the focus is on the duration | Actions when there is a link between the past and the present or actions that happened in a recent past | Actions when there is a clear link between the past and the present when the focus is on the duration |
| Form | Infinitive, Infinitive + <s> for 3rd person singular, | To be + ing-form of the main verb | To have + past participle | To have + been + ing-form of the main verb |
| Example | I walk He walks | I am walking He is walking | I have walked He has walked | I have been walking He has been walking |
Exercises about the present tenses
- Present Simple or Present Continuous Exercise 1
- Present Simple or Present Continuous Exercise 2
- Present Simple or Present Continuous Exercise 3
- Present Simple or Present Continuous Exercise 4
- Present Simple or Present Continuous Exercise 5
