Tense (grammar)

Tense is the form of a verb that shows the time something happened, or is going to happen.^[1] There are three main tenses:

1. Present tense: things that are true when the words are spoken or written.
   • Example: She goes to school. In this sentence, goes shows that it is a present tense. It suggests that she regularly goes to school.
   • Example: She is going to school. This says she is now going to school.
2. Past tense: things that were true before the words were spoken or written.
   • Example: She went to school. In this sentence, went shows that it is a past tense.
3. Future tense: things that will be true after the words are spoken or written.
   • Example: She will go to school. In this sentence, will shows that it is a future tense.

Tense can be shown by changing the spelling of a verb. For example, be can become am, is, and are in present tense, and was and were in past tense. In English, future tense is shown by adding will before the verb. For example, be becomes will be in future tense.

Some verb tenses are much more common than others in English.

Note: These tenses can be subdivided further (see below).

1. ↑ Concise Oxford Dictionary, 9th ed, p1436.