There are three main tenses:

1. The present tense
2. The past tense
3. The future tense

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

Read the following sentences.

• I write this letter to make her happy.
• I wrote the letter in the morning.
• I will write another letter tomorrow.

In sentence 1, the verb write refers to the present time.
In sentence 2, the verb wrote refers to the past time.
In sentence 3, the verb will write refers to the future time.

Thus we have seen that a verb may refer to the present, the past or the future.

A verb that refers to the present time is said to be in the present tense.

Examples are:

• I write.
• He works.
• She reads.
• They play.

A verb that refers to the past time is said to be in the past tense.

• I wrote.
• He worked.
• She danced.
• They played.

A verb that refers to the future time is said to be in the future tense.

• I shall write.
• She will work.
• He will read.
• They will play.

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