Tense (grammar) facts for kids

Tense is a special way a verb changes to show when something happens. It tells us if an action happened in the past, is happening now, or will happen in the future. Think of it like a time marker for verbs!

There are three main tenses in English:

• Present tense: This is for things that are happening right now, or things that are generally true.
  • Example: She goes to school. This means she goes to school regularly.
  • Example: She is going to school. This means she is on her way to school at this very moment.
• Past tense: This is for things that have already happened.
  • Example: She went to school. This means she finished going to school sometime before now.
• Future tense: This is for things that are going to happen later.
  • Example: She will go to school. This means she plans to go to school at a future time.

Verbs often change their spelling to show tense. For example, the verb be can become am, is, or are in the present tense. In the past tense, it changes to was or were. For the future tense in English, we usually add the word will before the verb. So, be becomes will be.

What is Verb Aspect?

Besides the main tenses, verbs can also show different kinds of time. This is called aspect. Aspect tells us more about how an action happens over time – if it's ongoing, completed, or a habit.

We form different aspects by adding "helping words" (also called "auxiliary words") like be or have before the main verb. For example, all these sentences are in the present tense, but they have different aspects and slightly different meanings:

• I give (simple present – a general action)
• I have given (present perfect – an action completed before now, but still relevant)
• I am giving (present continuous – an action happening right now)
• I have been giving (present perfect continuous – an action that started in the past and is still ongoing)

How Other Languages Show Tense

Different languages have their own ways to show tense.

• Some languages, like Latin, are similar to English. They often change the verb's spelling to show tense.
• Other languages, like Chinese and Indonesian, don't change the verb itself. Instead, they add new words around the verb to show when something happened.

See also

In Spanish: Tiempo gramatical para niños