What is Tense?

Read the following sentences:-

1. I write this letter to please you.

2. I wrote this letter to his very presence.

3. I shall write another letter tomorrow.

*In sentence 1, the verb write refers to present time.

*In sentence 2, the verb wrote refers to past time.

*In sentence 3, the verb shall write refers to future time.

Thus a verb may refer

(1) to present time,(2) to past time,(3) to future time.

A verb that refers to present time is said to be in the present Tense; as,

*I write, I love etc.

[The word tense comes from the Latin tempus, time.]

A verb that refers to past time is said to be in the Past Tense; as,

*I wrote, I loved etc.

A verb that refers to future time is said to be in the Future Tense; as,

*I shall write, I shall love etc.

Thus there are three main Tenses

The present, the past, the future.

The tense of a verb shows the time of an action or event.

Note: Sometimes a past tense may refer to present time, and a present tense may express future time; as,

I wish I knew the answer. (Past tense –Present time)

Let’s wait till he comes. (Present tense-Future tense)

Below we give the chief Tenses (Active voice, Indicative mood) of the verb to love.

Present Tense
Name	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I love	We love
2nd Person	You love	You love
3rd Person	He loves	They love

Past Tense
Name	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I loved	We loved
2nd Person	You loved	You loved
3rd Person	He loved	They loved

Future Tense
Name	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I shall/will love	He shall/will love
2nd Person	You will love	You will love
3rd Person	He will love	They will love

Read these sentences:-

1. I love. (Simple present)

2. I am loving. (Present continuous)

3. I have loved. (Present Perfect)

4. I have been loving. (Present Perfect continuous)

The verbs in all of these sentences refer to the present time, and are therefore said to be in the present tense.

*In sentence 1, however, the Verb shows that the action is mentioned simply, without anything being said about the completeness or incompleteness of the action.

*In sentence 2, the Verb shows that the action is mentioned as incomplete or continuous, that is, as still going on.

*In sentence 3, the Verb shows that the action is mentioned as finished, complete, or perfect, at the time of speaking.

*The tense of the Verb in sentence 4 is said to be Present Perfect Continuous, because the verb shows that the action is going on continuously, and not completed at this present moment.

Thus we see that the Tense of a verb shows not only the time of an action or event, but also the state of an action referred to.

Just as the Present Tense has four forms, the Past Tense also has the following four forms:-

1. I loved. (Simple Past)

2. I was loving. (Past Continuous)

3. I had loved. (Past Perfect)

4. I had been loving. (Past Perfect Continuous)

Similarly the future Tense has the following four forms:-

1. I shall/will love. (Simple future)

2. I shall/will be loving. (Future Continuous)

3. I shall/will have loved. (Future Perfect)

4. I shall have been loving. (Future Perfect Continuous)

We may now define Tense as that form of a Verb which shows the time and the state of an action or event.

 

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