Past, Present and Future Tense

When does it happen?

A verb is a doing word. The tense tells us when the doing happens: in the past, in the present (now), or in the future. ⏳

Present tense: now 🕐

The present tense is happening right now.

• I walk to school. 🚶
• She plays in the park. ⚽
• We eat lunch. 🍎

Past tense: already happened ✅

The past tense already happened. Many verbs add -ed.

Now	Past
walk	walked
jump	jumped
play	played

So we say: Yesterday I walked to school. 🚶

Future tense: not yet ➡️

The future tense has not happened yet. We add the word will.

• Tomorrow I will walk to school. 🚶
• She will play in the park. ⚽
• We will eat lunch. 🍎

Tricky past verbs

Some verbs do not add -ed. They change shape! Learn these by heart:

• go → went 🚗
• eat → ate 🍎
• run → ran 🏃

See all three

Watch one verb travel through time:

Yesterday I played. Today I play. Tomorrow I will play. 🎮

Play and practise

Play the matching game to join each present verb to its past. Then flip the flashcards and say "past", "present" or "future" before you check.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Word jobs: Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives
• Plurals: Plurals: Adding -s and -es
• Build sentences: Reading Your First Sentences

Now you can talk about any time. Brilliant! 🌟