🧠 TENSES
Think of tense as answering only 3 questions:
- When? (time)
- Is it finished or continuing?
- Is it a fact or experience?
1. 🟢 PRESENT SIMPLE (Most Important Basic Tense)
📌 Structure:
Subject + base verb (+ s/es for he/she/it)
📌 Use it for:
- Facts
- Habits
- General truth
✅ Examples:
- Water boils at 100°C.
- I go to school every day.
- He works in a bank.
❌ Common mistake:
- He go to school ❌
✔ He goes to school
2. 🟡 PRESENT CONTINUOUS
📌 Structure:
am / is / are + verb-ing
📌 Use it for:
- Actions happening now
- Temporary situations
- Trends
✅ Examples:
- I am studying IELTS now.
- Prices are increasing.
- He is working in Dhaka this month.
❌ Mistake:
- I study now ❌
✔ I am studying now
3. 🔵 PAST SIMPLE
📌 Structure:
verb + ed / 2nd form
📌 Use it for:
- Finished actions in the past
- Specific time (yesterday, last year)
✅ Examples:
- I visited Cox’s Bazar last year.
- He studied in Dhaka.
❌ Mistake:
- I have seen him yesterday ❌
✔ I saw him yesterday
4. 🟣 PRESENT PERFECT
📌 Structure:
have/has + past participle
📌 Use it for:
- Experience
- Life events (no time mentioned)
- Recent actions with result
✅ Examples:
- I have visited Cox’s Bazar.
- She has finished her homework.
- I have lived here for 5 years.
❌ Mistake:
- I am living here for 5 years ❌
✔ I have lived here for 5 years
5. 🔴 PAST CONTINUOUS
📌 Structure:
was/were + verb-ing
📌 Use it for:
- Action in progress in past
- Interrupted action
✅ Examples:
- I was studying when he came.
- They were playing football at 5 pm.
6. 🟠 FUTURE SIMPLE
📌 Structure:
will + base verb
📌 Use it for:
- Instant decisions
- Predictions
✅ Examples:
- I will help you.
- It will rain tomorrow.
7. 🟤 FUTURE (GOING TO)
📌 Structure:
am/is/are + going to + verb
📌 Use it for:
- Planned actions
- Strong evidence prediction
✅ Examples:
- I am going to start IELTS course.
- Look at those clouds, it is going to rain.
🔥 IELTS MOST IMPORTANT RULE (VERY CRITICAL)
👉 Don’t mix tenses randomly.
❌ Wrong:
- I went to school and I am studying there now for 5 years.
✔ Correct:
- I went to school and I have been studying there for 5 years.
🧩 SIMPLE WAY TO REMEMBER
| Time | Tense |
|---|---|
| Habit / Fact | Present Simple |
| Now | Present Continuous |
| Finished Past | Past Simple |
| Life experience | Present Perfect |
| Background past action | Past Continuous |
| Future | Will / Going to |
🧪 PRACTICE (Do this now)
Try to correct these:
- I am go to school every day.
- I have seen him yesterday.
- I lived here for 5 years.