English Tenses – JLPT‑Level Study Notes
(Designed for high‑stakes exams such as JPLT, TOEFL‑iBT, and competitive tests like IIT‑JEE)
1. Overview
| Tense | Form | Example | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | S + V / S + V + s/es |
She teaches. | Habit, general truth, scheduled events |
| Present Continuous | S + am/is/are + V‑ing |
They are studying. | Action happening now, temporary situations |
| Present Perfect | S + has/have + V‑pp |
I have finished. | Completed action with present relevance |
| Present Perfect Continuous | S + has/have + been + V‑ing |
She has been waiting. | Duration of a recent action that may still be ongoing |
| Past Simple | S + V‑ed / irregular |
He went. | Completed action in the past |
| Past Continuous | S + was/were + V‑ing |
They were reading. | Ongoing past action, often overlapped with another past action |
| Past Perfect | S + had + V‑pp |
She had finished. | Action completed before another past event |
| Past Perfect Continuous | S + had + been + V‑ing |
They had been studying. | Duration before another past event |
| Future Simple | S + will + V |
I will go. | Prediction, promise, spontaneous decision |
| Future Continuous | S + will + be + V‑ing |
They will be arriving. | Ongoing future action |
| Future Perfect | S + will + have + V‑pp |
She will have finished. | Action completed before a future reference point |
| Future Perfect Continuous | S + will + have + been + V‑ing |
They will have been working. | Duration of a future action up to a specific future moment |
| Conditional (zero/first/second/third) | If + ... , ... |
If you heat ice, it melts. | General truths, real possibilities, hypothetical situations |
Note
Japanese learners often mix up present vs. future tenses and confuse the simple vs. continuous forms. The key is to remember aspect (completed vs. ongoing) and time reference (now, past, future).
2. Detailed Rules & Derivations
2.1. Simple vs. Continuous
| Aspect | Form | Derivation |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | S + V |
Base verb (infinitive) + subject agreement |
| Continuous | S + be + V‑ing |
be (am/is/are) conjugated + present participle |
Formula
Continuous = S + (am/is/are) + V‑ing
Simple = S + V (or V‑ed)
Tricky point: "I am reading" (ongoing) vs "I read" (habit).
2.2. Perfect Tenses
| Tense | Formula | Example | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect | S + has/have + V‑pp |
She has written. | Action finished at an unspecified time before now. |
| Past Perfect | S + had + V‑pp |
They had left. | Action finished before another past moment. |
| Future Perfect | S + will + have + V‑pp |
He will have finished. | Action finished before a future moment. |
Derivation:
have/has/had + V‑pp
Tricky point: The time adverb (by, before, after) determines the reference point.
2.3. Perfect Continuous
| Tense | Formula | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect Continuous | S + has/have + been + V‑ing |
I have been studying. | Duration of recent action that may still be ongoing. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | S + had + been + V‑ing |
She had been sleeping. | Duration before a past event. |
| **Future Perfect |