3.1   What is Tense?

   3.1.1   We can also talk about time without using tenses

   3.1.2   One tense does not always talk about one time

         3.1.2.1   Such as a present tense does not always refer to present time

         3.1.2.2   Or a present continuous tense does not always refer to what is happening exactly now

         3.1.2.3   Or a past tense does not always refer to past time

   3.1.3   There are some terms in English grammar that are used when discussing verbs and tenses, such as voice
              (active / passive), mood (interrogative / imperative / subjunctive) and aspect.

3.2   The 12 English Tenses

        Simple Present Tense (I do do, I do)

        Present Continuous Tense (I am doing)

        Present Perfect Tense (I have done)

        Present Perfect Continuous Tense (I have been doing)

        Simple Past Tense (I did do, I did)

        Past Continuous Tense (I was doing)

        Past Perfect Tense (I had done)

        Past Perfect Continuous Tense (I had been doing)

        Simple Future Tense (I will do)

        Future Continuous Tense (I will be doing)

        Future Perfect Tense (I will have done)

        Future Perfect Continuous Tense (I will have been doing)

3.3   Conditional Tenses

  3.3.1   Present conditional tense (would + base form verb)

  3.3.2   Perfect conditional tense (would have + past participle)

  3.3.3   Use Present conditional tense and Perfect conditional tense to refer to the present or future (not the past)               situations.

3.4   Uses of the 12 Tenses

   3.4.1   Simple present tense

         3.4.1.1   General events that happen all the time, in the past, present and future

         3.4.1.2   Personal habits

         3.4.1.3   Group traditions, rituals, customs

         3.4.1.4   The statement that is always true

         3.4.1.5   To give instructions, commands, directions

         3.4.1.6   Used with future time markers to convey a future sense

         3.4.1.7   Used in the first conditional sentence

         3.4.1.8   Historical present, dramatic present / narrative present, reportorial present

         3.4.1.9   Something pre-arranged, such as a holiday, would generally be expressed in the present tense

   3.4.2   Present continuous tense

         3.4.2.1   Action happening exactly now

         3.4.2.2   Action happening around now

         3.4.2.3   Action in the future

   3.4.3   Present prefect tense

         3.4.3.1   Experience or action in the past without mentioning time

         3.4.3.2   Changes or action in the past that has an effect in the present.

         3.4.3.3   Continuing situation (a state that started in the past and continues in the present, and will probably
                       continue into the future. We usually use for or since with this structure.)

   3.4.4   Present perfect continuous tense

         3.4.4.1   An action that has lasted some time but has just stopped or recently stopped

         3.4.4.2   An action continuing up to now

   3.4.5   Simple past tense
         3.4.5.1   The event is in the past or is completely finished

         3.4.5.2   The time of the event that happened in the past is said, written or understood in the sentence

   3.4.6   Past continuous tense

         3.4.6.1   We use the past continuous tense to say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular
                       moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment.

         3.4.6.2   We use the past continuous tense to talk about past events that happened over a period of time

         3.4.6.3   We often use the past continuous tense to “set the scene” in stories. We use it to describe the
                       background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the past
                       continuous tense and then moves into the simple past tense.

         3.4.6.4   Past continuous tense + simple past tense

   3.4.7   Past perfect tense

         3.4.7.1   To express an action or a state in the past before a past action or a past time. This is the past in the                         past.

         3.4.7.2   In reported speech after verbs like said, told, asked, thought, wondered, etc. This is also the past
                       in the past.

   3.4.8   Past perfect continuous tense

              The past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the
              past before another action in the past.

   3.4.9   Simple future tense

         3.4.9.1   Prediction or action that happens in the future

         3.4.9.2   When there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We make the decision
                       spontaneously at the time of speaking.

         3.4.9.3   When the main verb is “be,” even if we have a firm plan or decision before speaking.

         3.4.9.4   When writing with the verb “think”

   3.4.10   Future continuous tense

         3.4.10.1   The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The                                             action will start before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment.

         3.4.10.2   To say what we will be doing within a set limit of time in the future

   3.4.11   Future perfect tense

                The future perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the future. This is the                      past in the future.

   3.4.12   Future perfect continuous tense

                We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before some point in the future

3.5  Differences between Simple Past Tense and Present Perfect Tense

3.6  Common Confusions

   3.6.1   I got, I have, I've got, I've gotten