Tense and Time
It is important not to confuse the name of a verb tense with the way we use it to talk about time.
For example, a present tense does not always refer to present time:
- I hope it rains tomorrow.
"rains" is present simple, but it refers here to future time (tomorrow)
Or a past tense does not always refer to past time:
- If I had some money now, I could buy it.
"had" is past simple but it refers here to present time (now)
The following examples show how different tenses can be used to talk about different times.
| TENSE | TIME | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| past time | present time | future time | ||
| present | simple | I want a coffee. | I leave tomorrow. | |
| She likes coffee. | ||||
| continuous | I am having dinner. | I am taking my exam next month. | ||
| They are living in London. | ||||
| perfect | I have seen ET. | I have finished. | ||
| perfect continuous | I have been playing tennis. | |||
| We have been working for four hours. | ||||
| past | simple | I finished one hour ago. | If she loved you now, she would marry you. | If you came tomorrow, you would see her. |
| continuous | I was working at 2am this morning. | |||
| perfect | I had not eaten for 24 hours. | |||
| perfect continuous | We had been working for 3 hours. | If I had been working now, I would have missed you. | If I had been working tomorrow, I could not have agreed. | |
| future | simple | Hold on. I'll do it now. | I'll see you tomorrow. | |
| continuous | I will be working at 9pm tonight. | |||
| perfect | I will have finished by 9pm tonight. | |||
| We will have been married for ten years next month. | ||||
| perfect continuous | They may be tired when you arrive because they will have been working. | |||
| In 30 minutes, we will have been working for four hours. | ||||