English Grammar for Class 1: Tenses

English Grammar for Class 1: Tenses^[a]

Tenses are used to write about something that has happened in the past, is happening in the present, or will happen in the future. It also tells us whether or not the task is complete. In a sentence, verbs tell us what is happening and tenses tell us when it happens.

There are three types of tenses:

Past Tense

She played with her dogs.
I had food.

Present Tense

I am eating pizza.
They are doing their chores.

Future Tense

I will eat pizza tomorrow.
I will learn to play the guitar.

This article explains the types of tenses in English grammar for kids of Class 1.

Types of tenses

There are different types of tenses within the three types. Let us learn about them.

Present Tense

There are four types of present tenses:

Simple Present

Simple present tells the reader when something is happening right now or regularly. You may need to add -s or -es to the end of the verb when writing in simple present. For example,

We go to the museum every day.
He loves to play the guitar.
She cycles to work every day.

Present Perfect

Present perfect is used for a situation that happened at some point in the past or which began in the past and finished in the present tense. You can use the past participle of the verb (for example, learned, entered, played, etc.) for the present perfect tense. For example:

She has learned how to play the guitar perfectly.
He has never eaten pasta before.
He has entered the mall.

Present Continuous

Present Continuous is used in the following situations:

For an action that is happening at this moment. For example - They are playing basketball.
For an action that happens regularly. For example - I love going to the playground with my friends.
For an action that happens and which also has the possibility of continuing.

Here are some more examples:

He is playing football in the backyard.
She is going to her recitals.
She is playing in the park.

Present Perfect Continuous

To tell us about something that began in the past and which is still happening, present perfect continuous is used. To use this tense, you can add has/have along with the present participle of a verb (for example, thinking, doing, eating, going, etc.) Here are some examples:

I have been going to the gym regularly for three years now.
It has been raining every day since Monday.
She has been thinking about joining the gym for one year now.

After taking a look at CBSE Class 1 English Present Tense, let’s learn the types of past tenses.

Tenses for Kids for Class 1: Past Tenses

When we learn tenses in English grammar, past tense is an important topic.

Simple Past

For events that have happened or that existed in the past, you should use simple past tense. Simple past tense is used to tell us that an action has been completed. Here are some examples:

He did not do his homework today.
She went to the restaurant with Ayushman.
I did my chores yesterday.

Past Perfect

Past perfect is used to tell us about something that has happened in the past. It is used to tell us how the events played out, or that tell us about an earlier event. Past perfect is more exact than simple past. The formula for past perfect is had + past participle of the verb.

Here are some examples:

I had been washing the car regularly.
She had been going to the gym.
He had already gone out when his wife arrived.

Past Continuous

For an action that happened in the past or something that was continuing in the past, past continuous tense is used. You can use was/were with the past participle of the verb for past continuous tense. Here are some examples of past continuous:

She was sitting in the library yesterday.
You were not doing what you were supposed to.
He met me when I was studying for the test.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous tense tells us about an activity that began in the past and continued till another moment in the past. The verb's root + -ing suffix is used in the past perfect continuous tense. Past perfect continuous is used in the following situations:

It is a verb tense that implies something that started as well as was continued in the past,
and that also stopped at a certain point in the past.

Here are some examples:

I have been watching Iranian movies since I was a child.
I had been reading Much Ado About Nothing when you called me yesterday.
She had not been driving when I saw her.

Tenses for Kids for Class 1 - Future Tense

Simple Future

To tell us something that is yet to take place, simple future is used. You can add will + the root form of a verb (go, do, think, etc.) to create simple future sentences. It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or multiple. For simple future tense, you can also use is, am, are along with +ing. For example:

I will think about going to college.
I will go to see a play tomorrow.
I will dance at the party tomorrow.

Future Perfect

Future perfect is used to tell us about an event that will happen in the future before another action takes. It is used for a completed event in the future. To create a future perfect sentence, you can add will + the past participle of the verb. The formula is the same whether the subject is singular or popular. For example:

I will have gotten ready by the time you come to pick me up.
He will have learned to play the violin before the next year.
She will have baked a pie by the time we get there.

Perfect Continuous

For actions that are going to continue into the future, perfect continuous tense is required. For this, you need to use will + be + present participle of the verb (+ing form).

The future continuous tense can only be used with action verbs since they can be done over a period of time. Seeing, thinking, and running are all examples of action verbs. Here are some examples of perfect continuous tense:

I will be playing squash this Saturday.
I will be doing my chores when you come to the house in the evening.
I will be cooking this Sunday.

Future Perfect Continuous

Actions that will continue until some point in the future are written in the future perfect continuous, which is also known as the future perfect progressive. You need to use the present participle of the verb (+ing) to form a future perfect continuous tense. When we use the future perfect continuous tense to tell us about an action, we are looking ahead in time and back on how long it took. We can assume that the action began sometime in the past, is now in progress, or will be completed. For example:

If you arrive at 6 pm, I will have been waiting for three hours.
When Niranjan turns 30, he will have been playing the guitar for more than 20 years.
He will have been working on this project for almost two years.

Conclusion

The past, present, and future are tenses of verbs. Things that have already happened are written in terms of past tense. Things that are happening right now or that are ongoing are best written using the present tense. Things that haven't happened yet are explained in the future tense (e.g., tomorrow, next month, next year, etc.). We hope that you’ve learned Tenses for Kids for Class 1 after reading this article.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the types of future tense?

Answer: Here are the four types of future tense:

Simple Future
Future Perfect
Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect Continuous

How can we make simple past negative?

Simple past verbs may be made negative by following a simple formula. You can use did not + [root form of verb] as the formula. Instead of did not, you can also use didn't. For example: I didn’t play cricket yesterday. He didn’t brag about his accomplishments.

When should I not use future perfect tense?

Only events that are expected to be completed before a specific date and time in the future can be expressed in the future perfect tense. This means that anything you're planning must have a deadline. If a deadline is not specified, the future perfect tense should be used instead.

How do you use present perfect tense?

This tense of the verb is easy to produce. Depending on the subject of the verb, the initial element is either have or has. The verb's past participle (cleaned, walked, laughed) which is normally produced by adding -ed or -d to the root is what you need for present perfect tense.