📌 What are Tenses?
Tense tells us the time of an action or event. English has 3 main tenses, each divided into 4 forms, giving us 12 tenses in total. Tenses are the single most tested grammar topic in BCS, Bank, and competitive exams — expect 5–8 questions every paper.
In 80% of exam questions, a signal word (yesterday, since, every day, now, before…) tells you which tense to use. Spot the signal word first, then pick the matching tense.
📌 The 12-Tense Master Grid
| Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | V1 / V5 (s/es) | am/is/are + V-ing | have/has + V3 | have/has been + V-ing |
| Past | V2 | was/were + V-ing | had + V3 | had been + V-ing |
| Future | shall/will + V1 | shall/will be + V-ing | shall/will have + V3 | shall/will have been + V-ing |
Simple (just the verb) → Continuous (be + V-ing) → Perfect (have + V3) → Perfect Continuous (have been + V-ing). This pattern repeats identically for Present, Past, and Future — learn it once, apply it three times!
📌 Present Tenses
1. Simple Present
Structure: Subject + V1/V5 (s/es for 3rd person singular)
Uses: Habits, facts, universal truths, scheduled events, general abilities
• The sun rises in the east. (universal truth)
• She goes to school every day. (habit)
• The train leaves at 9 AM. (scheduled event)
• Water boils at 100°C. (scientific fact)
• He speaks three languages. (ability/state)
With he/she/it and singular nouns, add -s/-es to the verb: go→goes, watch→watches, study→studies, do→does, have→has. Forgetting this "s" is the #1 Simple Present error in exams.
2. Present Continuous
Structure: Subject + am/is/are + V-ing
Uses: Actions happening now, temporary actions, planned future, changing situations
• I am reading a book now. (happening now)
• They are playing football. (in progress)
• We are leaving tomorrow. (planned future)
• The population is increasing rapidly. (changing situation)
These verbs describe states, not actions, and cannot be used in any continuous tense:
- Mental: know, believe, understand, think (opinion), suppose, remember, forget, realize
- Emotion: love, hate, like, dislike, want, need, prefer, wish
- Possession: own, possess, belong, have (= own), contain, consist
- Senses: see, hear, smell, taste, feel (involuntary)
- Other: seem, appear, mean, cost, owe, exist, matter
❌ I am knowing → ✅ I know | ❌ She is loving → ✅ She loves | ❌ It is costing → ✅ It costs
Love, Know, Need, Own, Prefer, Remember, Owe, Guess, Recognise, Exist, Seem, Suppose — they have no "-ing" form because there's no "progress" to show!
3. Present Perfect
Structure: Subject + have/has + V3 (past participle)
Uses: Actions completed at an unspecified time, experiences, actions started in the past that continue, recent actions with "just"
• I have visited Cox's Bazar. (experience — when doesn't matter)
• She has finished her homework. (recently completed)
• They have lived here since 2010. (started in past, continues)
• He has just left. (very recent action)
Definite past time (yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago) → Simple Past.
Unspecified time (ever, never, already, yet, just, recently) → Present Perfect.
❌ I have met him yesterday. → ✅ I met him yesterday. (definite time → Simple Past)
✅ I have met him. (no specific time → Present Perfect)
4. Present Perfect Continuous
Structure: Subject + have/has been + V-ing
Uses: Actions that started in the past and are still continuing, emphasis on duration
• I have been studying for three hours. (still studying)
• It has been raining since morning. (still raining)
• She has been teaching here since 2015. (continues now)
📌 Since vs For — The #1 Exam Pair
| Since (Point in Time) | For (Duration / Period) |
|---|---|
| since morning | for two hours |
| since 2010 | for five years |
| since Monday | for three days |
| since January | for six months |
| since he came | for a long time |
| since childhood | for ages |
Since = Starting point (a specific moment: 2010, Monday, morning).
For = For how long (a duration of time: 3 hours, 5 years, ages).
Both require Perfect or Perfect Continuous tense — never Simple Present or Simple Past!
📌 Past Tenses
5. Simple Past
Structure: Subject + V2
Uses: Completed actions in the past, past habits, past states
• I went to school yesterday.
• She wrote a letter last night.
• He lived in Dhaka for 10 years. (no longer lives there)
• They played cricket when they were young. (past habit)
6. Past Continuous
Structure: Subject + was/were + V-ing
Uses: Ongoing action in the past, interrupted actions, two simultaneous past actions, setting the scene
• I was reading when he called. (interrupted by Simple Past)
• While she was cooking, he was cleaning. (simultaneous)
• It was raining and the wind was blowing. (setting a scene)
• At 8 PM yesterday, I was watching TV. (specific past moment)
"When" + Simple Past, Past Continuous → I was sleeping when the phone rang.
"While" + Past Continuous, Simple Past → While I was sleeping, the phone rang.
"While" + Past Cont., Past Cont. → While she was cooking, he was reading. (both ongoing)
7. Past Perfect
Structure: Subject + had + V3
Uses: Action completed before another past action ("the past of the past")
• The train had left before I reached the station.
• She had finished cooking when he arrived.
• I had never seen such a beautiful place before I visited Sylhet.
• After he had eaten lunch, he went to sleep.
When two past actions are mentioned, the earlier action takes Past Perfect (had + V3) and the later action takes Simple Past (V2).
Before + Past Perfect, Simple Past: Before I had reached, the train left.
After + Past Perfect, Simple Past: After she had finished, she left.
By the time + Simple Past, Past Perfect: By the time I arrived, he had left.
8. Past Perfect Continuous
Structure: Subject + had been + V-ing
Uses: Action that was ongoing before another past action, emphasis on duration
• I had been waiting for two hours before the bus came.
• She had been teaching for 10 years before she retired.
• It had been raining all morning, so the ground was wet.
📌 Future Tenses
9. Simple Future
Structure: Subject + shall/will + V1
Uses: Predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises, offers, willingness
• I will help you. (promise)
• It will rain tomorrow. (prediction)
• I will have coffee, please. (spontaneous decision)
• We shall overcome. (determination — "shall" with I/we)
Traditional grammar: "Shall" with I/we (simple future), "Will" with he/she/it/they.
Reversed for emphasis: "I will do it" (determination), "You shall be punished" (command/promise).
In modern English and exams, "will" is accepted for all subjects in most contexts.
10. Future Continuous
Structure: Subject + shall/will be + V-ing
Uses: Actions that will be in progress at a future time
• At 8 PM tomorrow, I will be watching the match.
• This time next week, she will be traveling to London.
• Don't call at noon — I will be sleeping.
11. Future Perfect
Structure: Subject + shall/will have + V3
Uses: Actions that will be completed before a specific future time
• By next year, I will have graduated.
• She will have finished the project by Friday.
• By 2030, he will have worked here for 20 years.
12. Future Perfect Continuous
Structure: Subject + shall/will have been + V-ing
Uses: Ongoing actions up to a specific future time, emphasis on duration
• By December, I will have been working here for 5 years.
• By next month, she will have been studying English for 3 years.
• By the time you arrive, I will have been waiting for hours.
📌 No Future Tense in Time Clauses
This rule appears in every competitive exam. After time-clause conjunctions, use Present tense (not future).
| Incorrect ✗ | Correct ✓ | Conjunction |
|---|---|---|
| When I will go, I will call you. | When I go, I will call you. | when |
| Before he will come, I will leave. | Before he comes, I will leave. | before |
| After she will finish, she will rest. | After she finishes, she will rest. | after |
| I will wait until he will arrive. | I will wait until he arrives. | until / till |
| As soon as it will stop raining… | As soon as it stops raining… | as soon as |
When, Until, Before, By the time, After, As soon as — no "will" in these clauses! Use Simple Present instead.
📌 Time Markers (Signal Words)
| Tense | Signal Words |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | always, usually, often, sometimes, every day/week, generally, normally, seldom, rarely |
| Present Continuous | now, right now, at this moment, currently, today, look!, listen!, still |
| Present Perfect | already, yet, just, ever, never, since, for, recently, so far, lately, up to now |
| Present Perfect Cont. | since, for, all day, all morning, how long, lately |
| Simple Past | yesterday, last (week/month/year), ago, in 2020, once, the other day |
| Past Continuous | while, when, at that time, all day yesterday, as |
| Past Perfect | before, after, by the time, already, until, as soon as, no sooner…than, scarcely…when |
| Past Perfect Cont. | since, for + past time reference, all day before… |
| Simple Future | tomorrow, next (week/month), soon, in the future, tonight |
| Future Perfect | by (tomorrow/next year), by the time, before + future |
• See "since/for"? → Think Perfect tenses
• See "while/when"? → Think Continuous tenses
• See "before/after/by the time"? → Think Past Perfect
• See "every day/always/usually"? → Think Simple Present
• See "yesterday/ago/last"? → Think Simple Past
📌 "Used to" & "Would" — Past Habits
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| used to + V1 | Past habits & states (no longer true) | I used to play cricket. (I don't now) |
| would + V1 | Past repeated actions only (NOT states) | We would visit grandma every summer. |
| be used to + V-ing | Accustomed to (present habit) | I am used to waking up early. |
| get used to + V-ing | Becoming accustomed to | She is getting used to living alone. |
"used to + V1" = past habit (I used to smoke = I smoked before, not now).
"be used to + V-ing" = accustomed to (I am used to smoking = I'm accustomed to it).
These are completely different — exams love testing this distinction!
📌 Irregular Verb Forms (Most Important)
Group A — All Three Forms Different (V1 ≠ V2 ≠ V3)
| V1 (Base) | V2 (Past) | V3 (Past Participle) |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | gone |
| come | came | come |
| do | did | done |
| see | saw | seen |
| take | took | taken |
| write | wrote | written |
| break | broke | broken |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| give | gave | given |
| know | knew | known |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| begin | began | begun |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| swim | swam | swum |
| ring | rang | rung |
| sing | sang | sung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| grow | grew | grown |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| wear | wore | worn |
| tear | tore | torn |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
Group B — V2 = V3 (Same Past & Past Participle)
| V1 (Base) | V2 (Past) | V3 (Past Participle) |
|---|---|---|
| buy | bought | bought |
| bring | brought | brought |
| think | thought | thought |
| teach | taught | taught |
| catch | caught | caught |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| hold | held | held |
| keep | kept | kept |
| leave | left | left |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| pay | paid | paid |
| say | said | said |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| spend | spent | spent |
| stand | stood | stood |
| tell | told | told |
| win | won | won |
Group C — V1 = V2 = V3 (All Same)
| V1 | V2 | V3 | V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cut | cut | cut | put | put | put |
| shut | shut | shut | set | set | set |
| hit | hit | hit | let | let | let |
| hurt | hurt | hurt | cost | cost | cost |
| read | read | read | spread | spread | spread |
📌 Confusing Verb Pairs (Exam Traps)
| Verb | Meaning | V1–V2–V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Lie (recline) | To rest flat | lie – lay – lain |
| Lay (place) | To put down | lay – laid – laid |
| Lie (tell falsehood) | To say something untrue | lie – lied – lied |
| Rise (go up) | To go upward (no object) | rise – rose – risen |
| Raise (lift) | To lift something (needs object) | raise – raised – raised |
| Sit (be seated) | To be in a seat (no object) | sit – sat – sat |
| Set (place) | To put something (needs object) | set – set – set |
| Hang (object) | To suspend | hang – hung – hung |
| Hang (execution) | To execute by hanging | hang – hanged – hanged |
Lie = no object (I lie on the bed). Lay = needs an object (I lay the book on the table).
Tricky: the past tense of "lie" is "lay"! → Yesterday I lay on the bed. Exam favourite!
📌 Common Exam Mistakes
| # | Mistake | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Using "will" in time clauses (when/before/after/until) | Use Simple Present: "When I go" not "When I will go" |
| 2 | Using Present Perfect with definite past time (yesterday, ago) | Use Simple Past: "I went yesterday" not "I have gone yesterday" |
| 3 | Using continuous tense with stative verbs | "I know" not "I am knowing" — memorise the stative verb list |
| 4 | Confusing "since" (point) with "for" (duration) | Since Monday, since 2010, since morning / For 3 days, for 5 years |
| 5 | Confusing "used to + V1" with "be used to + V-ing" | Past habit (used to play) vs Present habit (am used to playing) |
| 6 | Using wrong past participle (V3) | "He has gone" not "He has went" — memorise irregular verb groups |
| 7 | Missing the "earlier action = Past Perfect" rule | "The train had left before I reached" — earlier action uses "had + V3" |
| 8 | Forgetting 3rd person "s" in Simple Present | "She goes" not "She go" — only with he/she/it/singular nouns |