The tense of a verb tells us when the action was done. The action can be done in the past, present or future.

Past
  Present  
Future
I worked late yesterday.
I am working late.
I will be working late tomorrow.

The Present Tense

There are two types of present tense.
  1. The simple present

    Use the simple present ...

    • for actions that happen regularly or habitually

      - She eats only seafood.
      - I usually take a bus to work.

    • for unchanging things - states, opinions, conditions, etc

      - Her eyes are brown
      - My wife loves chocolates.
      - I live in Singapore.

    • for general truths

      - Galileo taught that the earth revolves around the sun.

    • for instructions

      - Take a train to the Outram Station then No. 124 bus to Mount Faber.

    • when describing fictional events

      - In Roald Dahl's book, Matilda, a young girl discovers her mysterious mental power
      to move objects and she uses it to deal with her tryannical principal, Mrs Trunchbull.


        Agreement or Concord

    When the subject doing the action is the 3rd person singular (he, she or it), you need to change the base form of the verb ...

    [1] We love chocolates.
    [2] She loves chocolates.

    Note that the verb form in sentence [2] has changed
    because the subject "we" (plural) in front of the verb has changed to "she" (singular).

    This correspondence between subject and the verb is called agreement or concord.
    Agreement applies only to verbs in the present tense.
    In the past tense, there is no distinction between verb forms: we loved / she loved.


    -ss, -x, -ch or -sh

    • pass
    • fix
    • watch
    • wish
    Add "-es"

    • He passes the ball quickly to David.
    • She fixes dinner for the family.
    • My brother watches a lot of movies.
    • He wishes for a car like John's.
    consonant + "-y"

    • try
    • fly
    		 Change "-y" to "-ies"

    • Everyone tries to catch the bird.
    • It flies out of the window.
    Anything else

    • play
    • love
    		 Add "-s"

    • She plays games with her brother.
    • Jean loves chocolates.


    More on Concord


        Using the simple present to talk about the future

    The simple present is also used

    • for future events are already scheduled or planned

      - Our meeting on Monday starts at 9:00 a.m.

    • together with constructions in the future tense ("will give" in example below)

      - We'll give you your salary before you leave.



  2. The present continuous

    Use the present continuous ...

    • for actions happening now (that is unfinished or incomplete)

      - Someone is playing the piano.

    • for trends

      - More and more people are becoming health conscious.

    • with "always, forever, constantly", for a continuing series of repeated actions

      - My parents are always arguing!
      - His teenage daughter is constantly talking with her boyfriend on the phone.


    The present continuous is made up of two parts -

    the present tense of the "to be" verb    +    the present participle of the main verb
    am, is or are
    		        verb + "ing"


    1 vowel + 1 consonant Double the consonant, then add "ing"

    swim - swimming
    get - getting
    hit - hitting
    1 vowel + 1 consonant + "e" Remove "e", then add "ing"

    smoke - smoking
    lose - losing
    argue - arguing
    Anything else Add "ing"

    play - playing
    talk - talking
    go - going


The present continuous is sometimes used to describe a future action or event that has been planned or prepared.
This is explained under "the future tense".


the past tense the present tense the future tense