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Open in Interactive ReaderIntroduction to Tense and Aspect
Tense shows the time of an action (Present, Past, Future). Aspect shows how an action happens or continues (Simple, Progressive, Perfect).
Tense भनेको काम कहिले भयो (अहिले, पहिले वा पछि) भनेर देखाउने नियम हो। Aspect ले काम कसरी भयो (चलिरहेको थियो कि पूरा भयो) भनेर देखाउँछ।
Verb Forms Overview
Understanding the five forms of verbs is essential before constructing any tense.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| V1 | Base form | go, play, eat |
| V2 | Past form | went, played, ate |
| V3 | Past participle | gone, played, eaten |
| V4 | ing form (Progressive) | going, playing, eating |
| V5 | s/es form (Singular) | goes, plays, eats |
The 12 Tense Structures
These are the fundamental structural formulas for all 12 tenses in English grammar.
| Tense Category | Structure Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | S + V1/V5 | She plays. |
| Present Continuous | S + is/am/are + V4 | She is playing. |
| Present Perfect | S + has/have + V3 | She has played. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | S + has/have been + V4 | She has been playing. |
| Simple Past | S + V2 | She played. |
| Past Continuous | S + was/were + V4 | She was playing. |
| Past Perfect | S + had + V3 | She had played. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | S + had been + V4 | She had been playing. |
| Simple Future | S + will + V1 | She will play. |
| Future Continuous | S + will be + V4 | She will be playing. |
| Future Perfect | S + will have + V3 | She will have played. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | S + will have been + V4 | She will have been playing. |
Rule 1 — Simple Present & Third Person Rule
Use Simple Present for habits, general truths, and stable states. Third Person Rule: He/She/It and singular nouns always take the s/es (V5) form. After does/did/will, always use V1.
Correct Format
He plays football. (V5 for singular subject)The sun rises in the east. (General Truth)Does he go to school? (V1 after does)I do not like tea.Incorrect Format
He play football.Does he goes to school?She go to college.Rule 2 — Simple Past & Past Continuous
Simple Past (V2) is for completed actions in the past. Past Continuous (was/were + V4) is for ongoing past actions. When an ongoing action is interrupted, use Past Continuous for the longer action and Simple Past for the interruption.
Correct Format
I visited Pokhara last year. (Completed past)Did you go to the market? (V1 after Did)I was reading when he called. (Interrupted action)Incorrect Format
Did you went to the market?I was reading when he was calling.Rule 3 — Since vs. For
Used with Perfect and Perfect Continuous tenses to indicate time.
| Word | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| SINCE | Starting point of an action | since Monday, since 2020, since childhood |
| FOR | Duration / length of time | for two years, for five days, for a long time |
Exam Trap — Present Perfect vs. Simple Past
Never use an exact past time word with Present Perfect.
Present Perfect (has/have + V3) connects the past to the present. If a sentence has a specific past time marker (yesterday, in 2020, last week), you MUST use Simple Past (V2).
यदि वाक्यमा बितेको समय (yesterday, last year) दिइएको छ भने Present Perfect (has/have + V3) प्रयोग गर्न मिल्दैन, Simple Past (V2) नै लगाउनुपर्छ।
I visited London in 2020. (NOT: I have visited London in 2020)
She completed it yesterday. (NOT: She has completed it yesterday)
Rule 4 — Past Perfect Timeline
When two actions happen in the past, use Past Perfect (had + V3) for the first action that completed earlier, and Simple Past (V2) for the second action.
Correct Format
I had eaten before he arrived. (Eating happened first)She had left when I called. (Leaving happened first)They had finished their homework before dinner.Incorrect Format
I ate before he arrived.She left when I had called.Common Board Tense Mistakes
He don't play football.
He doesn't play football.
Did you went to the store?
Did you go to the store?
She have completed the assignment.
She has completed the assignment.
I am knowing him.
I know him. (State verbs don't take 'ing')
I have visited Pokhara last year.
I visited Pokhara last year.
Easy Level Practice
Easy Level
1
He .......................... (play/plays/played) football daily. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! 'Daily' indicates a habit, which requires Simple Present. 'He' is singular, so it takes the V5 form 'plays'.
Correct: plays. 'Daily' indicates a habit, which requires Simple Present. 'He' is singular, so it takes the V5 form 'plays'.
2
She is .......................... (sleep/sleeps/sleeping) now. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! 'Now' indicates an ongoing action. 'Is' must be followed by the V4 (ing) form.
Correct: sleeping. 'Now' indicates an ongoing action. 'Is' must be followed by the V4 (ing) form.
3
They .......................... (go/went/gone) to school yesterday. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! 'Yesterday' is a past time marker, requiring the Simple Past (V2) form 'went'.
Correct: went. 'Yesterday' is a past time marker, requiring the Simple Past (V2) form 'went'.
4
I have .......................... (do/did/done) my homework already. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! After 'have', we always use the Past Participle (V3) form 'done'.
Correct: done. After 'have', we always use the Past Participle (V3) form 'done'.
5
He does not .......................... (likes/like/liked) tea. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! After the helping verb 'does', we always use the base form (V1) 'like'.
Correct: like. After the helping verb 'does', we always use the base form (V1) 'like'.
6
The sun .......................... (rise) in the east. (Put the correct form of the verb 'rise' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! This is a general truth, requiring Simple Present. 'The sun' is singular, taking the V5 form.
Correct: rises. This is a general truth, requiring Simple Present. 'The sun' is singular, taking the V5 form.
7
Did you .......................... (went/go/goes) to the market? (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! After the auxiliary verb 'did', you must use the base form (V1) of the verb.
Correct: go. After the auxiliary verb 'did', you must use the base form (V1) of the verb.
8
Water boil at 100 degrees Celsius. (Rewrite the sentence correcting the mistakes.)
Correct! Scientific facts require the Simple Present tense. 'Water' is an uncountable singular noun, so it requires 'boils'.
Correct: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.. Scientific facts require the Simple Present tense. 'Water' is an uncountable singular noun, so it requires 'boils'.
9
I .......................... (visit) Pokhara last year. (Put the correct form of the verb 'visit' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! 'Last year' requires the Simple Past tense (V2).
Correct: visited. 'Last year' requires the Simple Past tense (V2).
10
She .......................... (has/have/having) completed her work. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! The singular subject 'She' requires the singular auxiliary verb 'has' for the Present Perfect tense.
Correct: has. The singular subject 'She' requires the singular auxiliary verb 'has' for the Present Perfect tense.
Medium Level Practice
Medium Level
1
She .......................... (has lived/has been living/is living) in Kathmandu since 2020. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! An action starting in the past and continuing requires Present Perfect Continuous (has been living), though Present Perfect (has lived) is also grammatically acceptable for states.
Correct: has been living or has lived. An action starting in the past and continuing requires Present Perfect Continuous (has been living), though Present Perfect (has lived) is also grammatically acceptable for states.
2
I .......................... (was watching/watched/watch) TV when he called. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! When an ongoing past action is interrupted by another action (he called), use Past Continuous for the longer action.
Correct: was watching. When an ongoing past action is interrupted by another action (he called), use Past Continuous for the longer action.
3
They .......................... (had left/have left/left) before I arrived. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! For two past actions, the one that happened first ('leaving' before 'arriving') requires Past Perfect.
Correct: had left. For two past actions, the one that happened first ('leaving' before 'arriving') requires Past Perfect.
4
He .......................... (do) his homework for two hours. (Put the correct form of the verb 'do' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! The phrase 'for two hours' indicates a continuous duration, requiring a Perfect Continuous tense.
Correct: has been doing or had been doing. The phrase 'for two hours' indicates a continuous duration, requiring a Perfect Continuous tense.
5
I have visited Pokhara last year. (Rewrite the sentence correcting the mistakes.)
Correct! The exact past time marker 'last year' requires Simple Past (visited), not Present Perfect (have visited).
Correct: I visited Pokhara last year.. The exact past time marker 'last year' requires Simple Past (visited), not Present Perfect (have visited).
6
We .......................... (are playing/were playing/play) when the rain started. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! The past interruption ('rain started') implies the ongoing action was in the past, requiring Past Continuous.
Correct: were playing. The past interruption ('rain started') implies the ongoing action was in the past, requiring Past Continuous.
7
Please, do not call me between 8 and 9 a.m. We .......................... (have/will have had / will be having) dinner then. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! This refers to an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future, requiring Future Continuous.
Correct: will be having. This refers to an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future, requiring Future Continuous.
8
She had left when I .......................... (call). (Put the correct form of the verb 'call' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! In a timeline where one action was already completed (had left), the second action takes Simple Past (V2).
Correct: called. In a timeline where one action was already completed (had left), the second action takes Simple Past (V2).
9
I .......................... (not/see) him since Monday. (Put the correct form of the verb 'see' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! The marker 'since' connects the past to the present, requiring the Present Perfect tense.
Correct: have not seen. The marker 'since' connects the past to the present, requiring the Present Perfect tense.
10
Does he goes to school? (Rewrite the sentence correcting the mistakes.)
Correct! After 'does', the main verb must always be in its base V1 form (go).
Correct: Does he go to school?. After 'does', the main verb must always be in its base V1 form (go).
Hard Level Practice
Hard Level
1
By coming Bhadra, we .......................... (get) our exam result. (Put the correct form of the verb 'get' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! The phrase 'By coming [future time]' indicates an action that will be completed before a future deadline, requiring Future Perfect.
Correct: will have got or will have gotten. The phrase 'By coming [future time]' indicates an action that will be completed before a future deadline, requiring Future Perfect.
2
After the lesson had finished, we run out of college. (Rewrite the sentence correcting the mistakes.)
Correct! The first action is Past Perfect (had finished). The subsequent action must be Simple Past (ran, not run).
Correct: After the lesson had finished, we ran out of college.. The first action is Past Perfect (had finished). The subsequent action must be Simple Past (ran, not run).
3
By next month, I .......................... (will have been working/will work/have worked) here for five years. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! An action continuing up to a future point with a stated duration ('for five years') requires Future Perfect Continuous.
Correct: will have been working. An action continuing up to a future point with a stated duration ('for five years') requires Future Perfect Continuous.
4
Scientists .......................... (had been studying/have studied/studied) the problem for years before the solution came. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! An action that was continuous up until another point in the past requires Past Perfect Continuous.
Correct: had been studying. An action that was continuous up until another point in the past requires Past Perfect Continuous.
5
The train .......................... (leave) before we reached the station. (Put the correct form of the verb 'leave' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! The train leaving happened before reaching the station. The first past action takes Past Perfect (had left).
Correct: had left. The train leaving happened before reaching the station. The first past action takes Past Perfect (had left).
6
Did she came yesterday? (Rewrite the sentence correcting the mistakes.)
Correct! After the auxiliary 'did', the main verb must return to its base V1 form (come).
Correct: Did she come yesterday?. After the auxiliary 'did', the main verb must return to its base V1 form (come).
7
I .......................... (wait) for you since 10 o'clock. (Put the correct form of the verb 'wait' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! 'Since 10 o'clock' indicates an action that started in the past and is still ongoing, requiring Present Perfect Continuous.
Correct: have been waiting. 'Since 10 o'clock' indicates an action that started in the past and is still ongoing, requiring Present Perfect Continuous.
8
By 2025, they .......................... (complete/will have completed/completed) the bridge. (Choose the appropriate form of the verb.)
Correct! 'By' a future time requires the Future Perfect tense.
Correct: will have completed. 'By' a future time requires the Future Perfect tense.
9
He have finished his work. (Rewrite the sentence correcting the mistakes.)
Correct! The singular subject 'He' requires the singular auxiliary 'has', not 'have'.
Correct: He has finished his work.. The singular subject 'He' requires the singular auxiliary 'has', not 'have'.
10
While I was reading, my brother .......................... (sleep). (Put the correct form of the verb 'sleep' to complete the sentence.)
Correct! Two simultaneous ongoing actions in the past both take the Past Continuous tense.
Correct: was sleeping. Two simultaneous ongoing actions in the past both take the Past Continuous tense.