Tense

Present Indefinite Tense talks about facts and about actions that happen in general, again and again or always. It is not tied to one moment of speaking.

[[parse: S=Radhika | V=studies | P=in Indore]]

How to spot it: a Hindi sentence of this tense usually ends in “ता है, ती है, ते हैं, ता हूँ”.

✔ Radhika studies in Indore. (राधिका इंदौर में पढ़ती है।)
✔ Radhika does not live in Delhi. (राधिका दिल्ली में नहीं रहती है।)
✔ Does she live in Delhi? (क्या वह दिल्ली में रहती है?)
✔ Why does she live in Delhi? (वह दिल्ली में क्यों रहती है?)

[[tl: present-simple]]

Where we use it

1. Facts, universal truths, regular actions and habits. A fact stays true whatever the time, so it needs no particular moment.

✔ The Sun rises in the east. (Fact)
✔ The Earth moves around the Sun. (Fact)
✔ She plays hockey. (Habit)
✔ Radhika always helps the poor. (Habit)

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius is a fact. The water is boiling right now is a happening of this moment, so it goes to the continuous tense.

2. Words that show frequency: daily, always, never, seldom, whenever, often, sometimes, occasionally, rarely, every day / week / month. They tell us how often an action repeats, so the present indefinite goes with them.

✘ He is usually arriving at 10:00 am. (use usually arrives)
✘ She is talking to her mother every day. (use talks)

> The Hindi ending “ता है” does not have to be there. Madhu likes sweets (मधु को मिठाइयाँ पसंद हैं) and Radhika has a car (राधिका के पास एक कार है) are also present indefinite.

> Every day (two words) is an adverb and means "daily": She teaches English every day. Everyday (one word) is an adjective: everyday life.

3. Nature or state: the forms of be (is / am / are). The pattern is Sub + is/am/are + complement.

✔ Cows are white. (= गायें सफेद होती हैं।)
✔ Aman is an honest boy.
✔ Dilisha is a very cute girl.
✔ Sagar is young.

4. A fixed, planned future. A timetable or schedule is treated like a fact, so the present indefinite is used. We mostly see it with the verbs open, close, begin, start, end, finish, arrive, come, leave, take off and return.

✔ The plane takes off at 10 A.M.
✔ The President leaves for Mumbai next week.

5. Newspaper headlines and commentaries.

✔ Bumrah takes 6 wickets.
✔ India strikes back.
✔ State seeks job scheme.

6. For + time can be used when the action is regular. The word for can even be dropped.

✔ I sleep for 6 hours.
✔ I sleep 6 hours.

[[say:radhika| Does always belong only to the present tense?]]

[[say:sir| No. Always, usually and never can sit in any tense, so read the whole sentence. Gandhiji always helped the poor is past. I will always help you is future. When there is no past or future clue, the frequency word points to the present indefinite.]]

Common mistakes

(1) Agreement. I, you, we, they and plural subjects take V1 and do. He, she, it and singular subjects take V1 + s/es and does.

✘ People likes you for what you are. (use like)
✘ It mean we should study. (use means)
✘ She don't know about me. (use doesn't)
✘ Do Ashi study with you? (use Does)

(2) Wh-word as the subject. When who, what, which or how many is itself the subject, we do not use do / does / did.

✘ Who does teach you English? (use teaches)
✘ How many students do study in your school? (use study)
✔ Who teaches you English?
✔ How many students study in your school?

(3) After do / does the main verb is plain V1. The -s/es is already taken by does.

✘ Does Radhika lives in Delhi? (use live)
✘ He doesn't likes you. (use like)

(4) Emphasis. In a positive sentence we normally do not use do / does, but we can add it to stress the action.

✔ I go to temple daily.
✔ I do go to temple daily.

Present Continuous Tense shows a temporary action that is going on at present. It is also called the present progressive.

[[parse: S=Yashpal | HV=is | MV=working | P=on his science project]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence usually ends in “रहा है, रही है, रहा हूँ”.

✔ Children are playing in the park. (बच्चे पार्क में खेल रहे हैं।)
✔ Yashpal is working on his science project. (यशपाल अपने science project पर काम कर रहा है।)
✔ Am I making a mistake? (क्या मैं गलती कर रहा हूँ?)

[[tl: present-continuous]]

Where we use it

1. At the time of speaking. The action has started and has not finished yet.

✔ He is working. (= वह काम कर रहा है।)

Here the man has begun his work and it is still on. Compare I teach English (my job, always) with I am teaching English (right now, or for these days, and it is not a permanent state). The child is sleeping means he sleeps for the moment and will wake up soon.

2. Time words of the present moment: now, right now, at the moment, at present, nowadays, still, these days, this week.

✘ Where do you work at present? (use are you working)
✘ I learn to drive a car these days. (use am learning)
✘ He talks on the phone at the moment. (use is talking)

3. Words of exclamation: Look!, Listen!, Sh!, Hurry up! They point to an action that is going on at the very moment of speaking.

✘ Sh! Someone listens to our conversation. (use is listening)
✘ Look! It rains outside. (use is raining)
✘ Hurry up! We get late for the party. (use are getting)

4. Gradual change. When something is slowly becoming different, we use the present continuous.

✘ The weather gets cooler day by day. (use is getting)
✔ She is growing older day by day.

5. A habit with a feeling. A regular habit normally takes the present indefinite. With always, constantly, continually, forever the present continuous shows that the speaker is annoyed, or is making a fond comment (She is always helping others).

✔ I don't know why he is always playing video games.
✔ I am always losing my keys.
✔ She is forever talking about how poor they are.
✔ He is always telling lies. (disapproval)
✘ He is always telling the truth. (not annoying; use always tells)

[[say:radhika| He always tells the truth is also about a habit. Why is the continuous wrong there?]]

[[say:sir| Because telling the truth does not annoy anyone. The continuous with always carries a complaint in its voice. No complaint, no continuous.]]

6. A planned future is also written in the present continuous when the arrangement is already made. The Future unit gives this in full.

✔ I am meeting Radhika tomorrow.
✔ We are meeting tomorrow.

Common mistake: the helping verb. You, we, they and plural subjects take are; I takes am; he, she, it and singular subjects take is.

✘ You isn't working on this project. (use aren't)
✘ He are sleeping. (use is)

> Some verbs are usually not used in the continuous form (know, like, want, belong...). They are covered in the next unit.

A stative verb shows a state, not an action. Because a state does not "go on" like work does, these verbs are not used in the continuous or the perfect continuous tense.

✔ I consider you my brother. (= मैं तुम्हें अपना भाई मानता हूँ।)
✘ I am considering you my brother.

The test for dynamic and stative. An action that takes time or effort is dynamic. One that takes none is stative. I have a marker simply says that the marker is with me; I do not "do" it, so I am having a marker is wrong. I know Radhika: knowing takes no time, so I am knowing is wrong. Another way to test it is the "middle of" idea. We can be in the middle of teaching, but we cannot be in the middle of loving somebody or knowing somebody.

Do not use these in the continuous or the perfect continuous.

✘ I am knowing you. (use know)
✘ This book is belonging to me. (use belongs)
✘ The documents are containing sensitive information. (use contain)
✘ She is wanting to meet Mr. Rahul. (use wants)

Verbs with two meanings. Some verbs show a state in one meaning and an action in another. The continuous is allowed only when the verb is doing the action meaning.

✔ They are smelling the flowers. (यहाँ action हो रहा है।) (वे फूलों को सूंघ रहे हैं।)
✘ These flowers are smelling good.
✔ These flowers smell good. (ये फूल अच्छे महकते हैं।)
✘ I am thinking that you are right. (use think, because here think = लगना)
✔ I am thinking about her. (here think = सोचना)
✘ She is not appearing surprised. (use does not appear)
✔ She is appearing in the movie. (here appear = दिखाई पड़ना)

More actions that can take the continuous because the meaning is an action:

✔ I am seeing a doctor tomorrow.
✔ I am looking for my book.
✔ I am feeling tired.
✔ I am having lunch.
✔ I am listening to music.
✘ I am hearing the news. (use hear or have heard)
✘ The cake is tasting delicious. (use tastes)

> Here comes the bus. The subject is the bus, so the verb is comes. And She looks beautiful is the form traditional English prefers. Modern English sometimes says She is looking beautiful today for a temporary look, but in the exam looks is the safe form.

[[say:radhika| Then why do people say "I'm loving it"?]]

[[say:sir| In speech love is sometimes stretched to mean "I am enjoying it right now". Treat it as a speaking habit. In the exam a verb of liking or feeling stays out of the continuous, so write I love it.]]

The verb be in the continuous. We normally do not use be in the continuous. But with some adjectives it shows temporary behaviour, and there the sentence also carries a word of temporariness such as today, these days or at the moment.

✔ Sagar is young.
✘ Sagar is being young.
✔ Sagar is being generous today.
✔ Sagar is generous. (permanent quality)

Young is a state, so is being young is wrong. Generous can be behaviour that lasts only for a day, so is being generous today is right. Without the temporary word, the sentence talks about a permanent quality.

Adjectives that allow be in the continuous: loud, responsible, careful, illogical, nice, rude, cruel, impolite, noisy, serious, fair, irresponsible, patient, silly, foolish, kind, pleasant, unfair, funny, lazy, polite, unkind, generous, logical, quiet, unpleasant.

> Stative verbs also stay out of the past continuous (was liking is wrong, liked is right) and out of the perfect continuous (has been knowing is wrong, has known is right). Both are explained in their own units.

Present Perfect Tense is a mix of the present and the past. It is used for an action that happened in the recent past and whose effect is still seen in the present.

[[parse: S=Meena | HV=has | MV=cooked | O=food]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence usually ends in “चुका है, चुकी है, चुके हैं, चुका हूँ, लिया है, दिया है”.

✔ Meena has cooked food. (मीना खाना बना चुकी है।)
✔ I have reached Delhi. (मैं दिल्ली पहुँच चुकी हूँ।)
✔ Here is your mobile. I have repaired it. (मोबाइल ठीक हो चुका है और अभी मेरे हाथ में है।)

[[tl: present-perfect]]

[[say:radhika| "I have had lunch": lunch was in the past, so why is it the present perfect?]]

[[say:sir| Ask why this is being said at all. It is said because the result is with the speaker now: there is no hunger. The action is in the past, the result is in the present, and this tense joins the two.]]

Where we use it

1. Words that join the past to the present: recently, till now, yet, so far, of late, lately, presently, ever, just, already. Also never ... before.

✘ He did not study the book yet. (use has not studied)
✘ She already tells him. (use has already told)
✔ I have never seen such a book before. (मैंने ऐसी किताब पहले कभी नहीं देखी।)
✔ This is the most forlorn place I have ever seen.

2. A past action whose effect is present now. This includes life experience and "how many times".

✘ I bought a new car and go everywhere in it. (use have bought)
✔ She has been to Mumbai twice and wants to go once again.
✔ I have visited the Taj Mahal. (मैं ताजमहल देख चुका हूँ।)

3. Since or for can be added when the need is there.

✔ I have worked here.
✔ I have worked here since 2014.
✔ I have worked here for ten years.
✔ I have known her since 2020.
✔ I have waited since morning.
✔ I worked there for two years.
✔ I am staying for a week.

Common mistakes

(1) Has or have. I, you, we, they and plural subjects take have. He, she, it and singular subjects take has.

✘ We has already done our work. (use have)
✘ Radhika have not approved it yet. (use has)

(2) A finished time word. The present perfect is for the recent past. As soon as the sentence names the time of the past (yesterday, last year, in 2019, two days ago), it takes the past indefinite. The next unit works on this in full.

✔ I have bought a car.
✘ I have bought a car yesterday. (use bought)

(3) The word yet. We normally use yet in negative and question sentences. In a positive sentence we use already or so far instead.

✘ He has not still returned.
✔ He has not returned yet.
✔ Has he returned yet?

> After the forms of be or have, yet + to + V1 shows an action that is still to be done.

✔ I have yet to call her. (मुझे अभी उसे फोन करना है।)
✔ I am yet to call her.
✔ I haven't called her yet. (मैंने अब तक उसे फोन नहीं किया है।)
✔ It was midnight and I had yet to call her.
✔ It was midnight and I was yet to call her.
✔ It was midnight and I hadn't called her yet.

Both tenses speak about the past. The difference is simple: is the time of the past named, or not?

[[say:radhika| Both are about the past. How do I choose?]]

[[say:sir| Look for the time. If the sentence names the time of the past, only the past indefinite is possible. If it does not, and what matters is the result or the experience, the present perfect is the better tense.]]

✔ We have bought a house.
✔ We bought a house.
✘ We have bought a house in 2020. (use bought)

1. A named past time means the past indefinite. Words like *yesterday, last night, last year, last month, ago, in 1990, in January, at 3 o'clock* and the question word when all fix the action in a finished time.

✘ Kavita has come to Delhi last year. (use came)
✘ I have completed my work yesterday. (drop have)
✘ I have finished my work at 3 o'clock. (drop have)
✔ When did you buy this car?

2. Ago is a special case. It always goes with the past indefinite. Neither the past perfect nor the present perfect is allowed.

✔ We finished it 3 hours ago.
✘ We had finished it 3 hours ago.
✘ We have finished it 3 hours ago.

3. The focus is different.

✔ I visited Delhi last year. (the focus is on when)
✔ I have visited Delhi many times. (the focus is on experience up to now)

4. Time words like today, tonight, this morning, this evening, this year. Here both tenses can be right. The question to ask is: is that period still on?

• If the period is not over, or the action can still happen again in it, use the present perfect.
• If the period is over, or the action cannot happen again in it, use the past indefinite.

✔ I have written 3 letters this morning.
✔ I wrote 3 letters this morning.
✔ I haven't shaved today.
✔ I didn't shave today.

In I have written 3 letters this morning the morning is still on, so more letters can be written. In I wrote 3 letters this morning the morning is over (we are probably speaking at noon or in the evening). The same logic works for shaved today.

The lunch picture: at 12 noon, "I have not had lunch today" is right, because lunch can still happen. At 10 at night, the day has ended, so "I did not have lunch today" is right.

✔ I have not had lunch today. (said at 12 noon)
✔ I did not have lunch today. (said at 10 at night)
✔ Radhika has not called today. (I am still expecting a call)
✔ Radhika did not call today. (the day is over)

> In the printed book, the next two sentences are treated as errors. Here a single, finished event of the day (getting up late, reaching the office late) is being reported, so the past indefinite is expected.

✘ I have got up late this morning. (use got)
✘ He has arrived at office late today. (drop has)

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used for an action that began in the past and is still going on in the present, or one that has stopped just before the present point.

[[parse: S=I | HV=have been | MV=working | A=here | P=since 2010]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence ends in “रहा है, रही है, रहे हैं”, and usually a time is also mentioned.

✔ I have been working here since 2010.
✔ Have you been studying here since morning?
✔ They have been enjoying it for the last two days.
✔ She has not been waiting for him since morning.
✔ How long have you been staying in Indore?

[[tl: present-perfect-continuous]]

1. Since and for. This tense normally names the past time with since or for.

[[say:radhika| I always mix up since and for.]]

[[say:sir| Ask one thing: can I put a clock or a calendar on it? Monday, 2 pm, 2021 are points, so since. Two hours, six months are stretches, so for. How long hides a for behind it.]]

✘ He has been working for morning. (use since)
✘ We have been playing football since 3 years now. (use for)
✘ I have been calling you for 3 o'clock. (use since)

2. More about since and for. Since can point to a stage of life (since childhood, since my birth, since my marriage), but for childhood is wrong. A period of years stays with for: married for four years. We say ever since, never ever for, and since yesterday, not from yesterday.

✔ She has been unwell since childhood.
✔ They have been married for four years.
✔ It has been raining since last night.
✔ He has been watering the plants for one hour.
✔ Ever since she joined, the team has been winning.
✘ I have known him ever for ten years.
✘ She has taken nothing from yesterday. (use since yesterday)
✘ She has been teaching in this school since five years. (use for five years)

3. Last with or without the.

Since last night names a point, so since. The last night is a stretch, so for. Also, since the last two days is wrong; write for the last two days.

4. Since followed by a clause. The event that starts the period is written in the past indefinite, and the main clause is in the present perfect (continuous).

✔ He has been working here since I arrived.
✔ Since I arrived, he has been working here.
✔ I have not seen your sister since she came to this city.
✔ Five years have passed since Radhika joined this school.

5. Without since / for. The time can be left out when the situation already makes it clear.

✔ Teacher: I have been observing the class. What have you been doing?
✔ Student: I have been writing notes.

Common mistakes

(1) Position of not. Not comes after has / have and before been. It never comes before the subject, although the contracted form (haven't) can stand before it.

✘ She has been not sleeping for 2 hours. (use has not been sleeping)
✘ Why have not you been working for the last ten minutes? (use have you not)
✔ Why haven't you been working for the last ten minutes?

(2) Since + time with a continuous or an indefinite tense is wrong. An action going on since the past needs the perfect continuous.

✘ He is working since last night. (use has been working)
✘ He calls you since morning. (use has been calling)

(3) Stative verbs. A stative verb does not take the perfect continuous either. Use the present perfect.

✘ He knows you since childhood.
✘ He has been knowing you since childhood.
✔ He has known you since childhood.

Both tenses can carry since or for, so the exam likes to test which one fits. Three small concepts sort it out.

[[tl: present-perfect]]

[[tl: present-perfect-continuous]]

1. A stative verb with since / for takes the present perfect. Know, smell, like, belong and the like do not take -ing, so the perfect continuous is out.

✘ I have been knowing her since 2010. (use have known)
✘ The food has been smelling awful since morning. (use has smelt)
✔ I have known her since 2010.

2. When the sentence says how many or how much was done, use the present perfect. The perfect continuous looks at the activity going on. A number looks at the result, and the result belongs to the present perfect.

✘ I have been writing 5 letters since morning. (use have written)
✘ He has been eating 5 pizzas for the last 2 days. (use has eaten)
✔ He has read five pages since morning. (= सुबह से पाँच पेज पढ़ चुका है।)

3. In every other situation, since + a point of time takes the perfect continuous for an ongoing action, and for goes with either.

✔ I have been waiting since morning.
✔ I have waited for two hours.
✔ I have been waiting for two hours.

> I have waited since morning is also grammatical, but in SSC questions the continuous (I have been waiting since morning) is the expected answer when both are not offered together.

> With for, the present perfect puts the focus on the completed duration, and the perfect continuous puts it on the continuity of the action.

[[say:radhika| How do I know whether the number matters?]]

[[say:sir| If the amount can be counted (five letters, three pizzas, ten pages), then what has been finished is being counted, and a finished amount is the present perfect. If it is only said that the work has been going on, it is the continuous.]]

Past Indefinite Tense talks about an action of the past. It can be a one-time action or a repeated action that took place in the past itself.

[[parse: S=She | V=went | P=to market | A=yesterday]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence usually ends in “ता था, ती थी, ते थे”, or in “या, ये, यी”.

✔ She went to market yesterday. (वह कल बाजार गयी।) (single action)
✔ I studied 8 hours every day. (मैं प्रतिदिन 8 घंटे पढ़ाई करता था।) (repeated action)

[[tl: past-simple]]

1. Past time words and past references. Words like yesterday, last night, last year, last month, ago, in 1990, in January fix the action in the past, so the past indefinite is used. The same goes for historical events and persons, old beliefs, stories and narration.

✔ Once upon a time, a beautiful princess fell in love with a poor farmer.
✔ In ancient times, people believed that the sun revolved around the earth.
✔ Gandhiji always helped the poor.
✘ India gets independence in 1947. (use got)

[[say:radhika| "In ancient times people believed that the sun revolved around the earth": why not revolves?]]

[[say:sir| Because that was an old belief, and the sentence is in the past. The fact we know today is that the Earth moves around the Sun, and that is a present indefinite sentence. A belief of that time and a fact of today are two different sentences.]]

2. Repeated actions in the past. The past indefinite also shows a habit that belonged to a period of the past. The time phrase must be a past one. A phrase with for + time can show how long the action lasted.

✘ I call her names during my childhood. (use called)
✘ Radhika often visits my house last month. (use visited)
✔ I worked in Delhi. (= मैं दिल्ली में काम करता था।)
✔ I worked in Delhi for 2 years. (= मैंने दिल्ली में दो साल काम किया था।)
✔ The shop usually opened ten minutes late. (the shop is closed now)

3. Used to: an old habit that has stopped. If something happened regularly in the past but does not happen now, use used to + V1. In questions and negatives the d drops: use to.

✔ I used to play cricket every evening. (= पहले रोज़ खेलता था, अब नहीं।)
✔ She used to live in Delhi. (= पहले रहती थी, अब नहीं रहती।)
✔ Did you use to smoke?
✔ I didn't use to like tea.

> Be used to + -ing is a different thing: it means "accustomed to", as in I am used to waking up early.

4. Would: a past habit in a formal style. Like used to, would shows a repeated habit of the past, but only with action verbs, never with state verbs.

✔ Every summer, we would go to the village.
✔ Every summer, we used to go to the village.
✘ She would be tall as a child. (be is a state verb; use was)

Common mistakes

(1) After did the verb is V1, not V2.

✘ She did not attended the meeting. (use attend)
✘ I did not reached there on time. (use reach)
✘ Did she invited you? (use invite)
✘ I did not promised her. (use promise)

(2) Not cannot stand without a helping verb.

✘ We not complained about it. (use did not complain)
✘ Rajesh not come to meet her. (use did not or didn't)

(3) Emphasis. A positive sentence normally does not take did, but we can add it for stress.

✔ I visited my village every summer.
✔ I did visit my village every summer.

Past Continuous Tense talks about an action that was going on in the past, in the middle of its happening.

[[parse: S=She | HV=was | MV=playing | O=cricket]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence ends in “रहा था, रही थी, रहे थे”.

✔ She was playing cricket. (वह क्रिकेट खेल रही थी।)
✔ We were not singing songs. (हम गाने नहीं गा रहे थे।)
✔ Were they working with you? (क्या वे तुम्हारे साथ काम कर रहे थे?)
✔ Were they not working with you? (क्या वे तुम्हारे साथ काम नहीं कर रहे थे?)
✔ Why were they not working with you? (वे तुम्हारे साथ काम क्यों नहीं कर रहे थे?)

[[tl: past-continuous]]

1. The background action. Past continuous shows the action that was already going on in the background. A short action that came in and interrupted it is written in the past indefinite. In stories, the main events are in the past indefinite and the surrounding scene is in the past continuous. Words such as at that time, at that moment and while go with the continuous.

✘ When I woke up, the sun shine. (use was shining)
✔ I was watching T.V. when you called.
✘ The car hit him when he crossed the road. (use was crossing)
✔ When I reached there, Radhika was cooking food.
✔ While I was studying, my brother was playing music.
✔ It was raining when he called me.

[[say:radhika| How do I know which action is the background?]]

[[say:sir| The one that was already going on when the other one came in. The long action is the background, the short one is the interruption. The ball suddenly hit her on the head when she was playing cricket: playing is long, hitting is short.]]

> It was raining when he called me is the natural way to say it. It rained when he called me sounds as if the call caused the rain, so be careful with it.

Common mistakes

(1) Was or were. You, we, they and plural subjects take were. I, he, she, it and singular subjects take was.

✘ They was doing well before sunset. (use were)
✘ I knew that he were trying his best. (use was)

(2) Stative verbs do not take the continuous. Use the past indefinite.

✘ Everyone was liking my performance. (use liked)
✘ My father was having only one car. (use had)
✘ I can't remember why I was wanting a phone. (use wanted)

(3) Since / for + time is wrong with the past continuous. Use the past perfect continuous. In fact, since / for showing how long an action has been going on is not used with the continuous form of the past, the present or the future.

✘ I was working there for two years. (use had been)
✘ They were living there since 1982. (use had been)
✘ Radhika was studying for 3 hours when I called. (use had been)

(4) Repeated past actions take the past indefinite, not the past continuous.

✘ Sagar was calling her six times. (use called)
✘ When I was a child, I was going to school. (use went)
✘ When I was 20, I was smoking. (use smoked)
✘ I was always scoring well at school. (use always scored)

> Was / were always + -ing is right only when the habit annoyed the speaker: He was always borrowing my pen.

Past Perfect Tense is used for an action that was complete at some point in the past, or that was complete before that point.

[[parse: S=He | HV=had | MV=bought | O=a car]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence ends in “चुका था, चुकी थी, चुके थे”.

✔ I realised he had bought a car. (मुझे realise हुआ कि वह कार खरीद चुका था।)
✔ He had already read these books by the time I called him. (वह इन किताबों को पहले ही पढ़ चुका था जब मैंने उसे call किया।)
✔ I had already seen this game by 5 pm. (मैं इस खेल को 5 बजने से पहले ही देख चुका था।)
✔ The patient had died before the doctor came.
✔ The doctor came after the patient had passed away.

[[tl: past-perfect]]

1. The past of the past. We call it that because we are already talking about the past and want to make clear that this action had been finished even earlier. It needs two past reference points. Before, after, already, by the time are its usual companions.

✘ I realised that we met before.
✘ I realised that we have met before.
✔ I realised that we had met before.

[[say:radhika| "he had bought a car": why not simply bought?]]

[[say:sir| Because the sentence is already standing in the past (I realised), and the buying happened before that realising. Two past moments, one of them earlier: the earlier one takes had + V3.]]

> I had met her yesterday feels incomplete, because yesterday is one reference and the second is missing.

2. Unreal past. The past perfect is also used for things that did not happen in the past, or that we wanted to do and could not. Its form is the past perfect, but the meaning is imaginary. This is really the subjunctive mood, which has its own chapter.

✘ I wish I went to the movies yesterday. (use had gone)
✘ If only I did it last night. (use had done)

Common mistakes

(1) A single action. The past perfect is not used for a single past action; use the past indefinite. But when a time adverb gives a second reference (by the end of the month, already), the past perfect can stand for a single action too.

✘ Our English teacher had completed the course. (use completed)
✔ By the end of the month our English teacher had completed the course.
✔ Radhika had already taken the course.

> In the exam, a sentence taken out of a passage may show a past perfect with no second clause. Do not call it wrong at once. First look for other errors; if there are none, the answer may be No error.

(2) Since / for + time along with a past reference. When a past reference is there, the duration before it takes the past perfect, not the past indefinite.

✘ In 2009, I worked here for 3 years. (use had worked)
✘ By 2010, I lived there for 5 years. (use had lived)
✘ He told me that his father was ill for 2 years. (use had been)

Past Perfect Continuous Tense expresses an action that was going on for some time before a point in the past. It may have continued up to that point, or it may have stopped just before it.

[[parse: S=He | HV=had been | MV=working | P=for 10 years]]

How to spot it: the Hindi sentence ends in “रहा था, रही थी, रहे थे”, and a time is mentioned as well.

✔ By 2020, he had been working for 10 years.
✔ Had he been practising the guitar for hours before the concert?
✔ Why had she been studying for so long before the exam?

[[tl: past-perfect-continuous]]

✔ When I saw Reena, I realised that she had been crying.
✔ At Christmas last year, we had been living in Sultanpuri for about six months.
✔ They had been saving money for years before they finally bought their house in 2020.
✔ She had been cooking the meal for an hour when we arrived.
✘ He was sleeping for two hours when someone knocked at the door. (use had been sleeping)
✔ She had known him since childhood. (a stative verb takes the past perfect)

When a sentence has two past actions, the exam checks whether the right tense can be put on each. Use these questions in order.

• Step 1. Did the two actions happen at the same time, or one after the other?
• Step 2 (one after the other). Must we show that the first one was finished before the second? If yes, the first is Past Perfect (had + V3) and the second is Past Indefinite (V2). If we only tell what happened next, both are Past Indefinite.
• Step 3 (at the same time). Were both going on together for a long time? Then both are Past Continuous. Was one going on and the other came in between? Then the one going on is Past Continuous and the interrupting one is Past Indefinite. Was one short action during another short action? Then both are Past Indefinite.

The four points in one view:

✔ The ball suddenly hit her on the head. (short or interrupting action: Past Indefinite)
✔ When I reached there, Radhika was cooking food. (background action: Past Continuous)
✔ When I reached there, Radhika had cooked food. (the action finished first: Past Perfect)
✔ When I met Radhika, we watched a movie. (one after another: both Past Indefinite)

In a story, the main events are in the Past Indefinite and the background scene is in the Past Continuous. With while we usually find the continuous. With when both are possible, and the sense decides.

After and before. With after, the clause that follows after takes the Past Perfect and the main clause takes the Past Indefinite. With before, the main clause takes the Past Perfect and the clause that follows before takes the Past Indefinite.

✔ He went shopping after he had completed his work.
✔ He had completed his work before he went shopping.

The when problem. The word when does not tell which action came first, so the tense does the telling. The same words, with different tenses, give four different stories.

[[say:radhika| With when both orders seem possible. How do I choose?]]

[[say:sir| Let the meaning choose. Say the sentence to yourself and ask: what happened first? Whichever action finished first gets the past perfect, and the other stays in the past indefinite. The past perfect can stand before or after when; only the meaning changes.]]

✔ He had eaten food when I called him. (= जब मैंने उसे call किया तब वह खाना खा चुका था।)
✔ He ate food when I had called him. (= जब मैं उसे call कर चुका था तब उसके बाद उसने खाना खाया।)

Two SSC traps

• Ago goes with the Past Indefinite.
• Just after, just before and as soon as leave no gap between the actions, so both verbs are normally in the Past Indefinite. The Past Perfect is unnecessary here.

✔ We finished it 3 hours ago.
✘ We had finished it 3 hours ago.
✔ She ate food just after I called her.
✔ The students stood up as soon as the teacher entered.

Hardly / Scarcely / No sooner. When one past action is followed immediately by the other, and we want to show the speed or the surprise, we use these structures. The first action is in the Past Perfect and the second in the Past Indefinite. In some sentences both verbs can be in the Past Indefinite, as in the fourth example below.

• Hardly / Scarcely + had + sub + V3 … + when + sub + V2 …
• No sooner + had + sub + V3 … + than + sub + V2 …

[[parse: X=Hardly | HV=had | S=I | MV=reached | O=the station | CONJ=when | S=the train | V=left]]

✔ Hardly had I reached the station when the train left.
✔ Scarcely had she finished her speech when the lights went out.
✔ No sooner had I opened the door than the cat ran out.
✔ No sooner did I open the door than the cat ran out.
✘ Hardly had I reached the station when the train has left. (use left)
✘ No sooner had I reached the station when the train left. (use than)

> Hardly and scarcely go with when. No sooner goes with than. SSC often swaps them.

There is no separate verb form for the future in English. To talk about the future we use a modal, usually will or shall. (The difference between shall and will is explained in the Modals chapter.) After a modal the verb is always V1, so will singing or shall be cook is wrong.

A. The four future tenses

1. Future Indefinite shows actions or events that will happen in the future. Hindi ending: “गा, गी, गे”.

✔ I shall meet Radhika tomorrow. (मैं कल राधिका से मिलूँगा।)
✔ You will come home next month. (तुम अगले महीने घर आओगे।)
✔ Will Radhika accept my proposal? (क्या राधिका मेरा प्रस्ताव स्वीकार करेगी?)

[[tl: future-simple]]

2. Future Continuous shows an action that will be going on at a certain point in the future. Hindi ending: “रहा होगा, रही होगी, रहे होंगे”.

✔ I shall be talking to Radhika this time tomorrow.
✔ He will be playing cricket at 9:00 am next Sunday.
✔ I hope the sun will be shining when I wake up.
✔ She will be travelling this time tomorrow.

[[tl: future-continuous]]

3. Future Perfect shows an action that will be complete at a certain future point, or complete before it. Hindi ending: “चुका होगा, चुकी होगी, चुके होंगे”. Look for by, by the time, by this time next year, by tomorrow, till, before.

✔ I shall have completed the work by next Sunday.
✔ Kavita will not have informed him by tomorrow.
✔ Ashok will have finished his work by tomorrow.

[[tl: future-perfect]]

4. Future Perfect Continuous shows an action that will have been going on for some time before a future point, or will stop just before it. Hindi ending: “रहा होगा, रही होगी, रहे होंगे”, with a time.

✔ He will have been studying for 10 hours when I reach there.
✔ You will have been running for 10 minutes when you complete 2 km.
✔ By the end of this month, I will have been working here for five years.
✘ By the end of this month, I will have been working here since 2021. (only for is used in the future)

[[tl: future-perfect-continuous]]

B. Four ways of talking about the future

1. *Will / shall* give information about the future: an action that is possible, not yet decided, or intended. It is also used for an instant decision, a promise and a prediction with no evidence.

✘ I am rich one day. (use shall be)
✘ I promise I come back soon. (use will come)
✘ I phone you tomorrow. (use will phone)
✔ I'll have the pizza. (said to a waiter, decided on the spot)

2. *Be going to* is used for what we predict from evidence we can see now, or for what is already planned.

✔ Look at the sky. It is going to rain.
✔ He seems nervous. He is going to make a mistake.
✔ I will buy a car. (no plan yet)
✔ I am going to buy a car. (the plan is already made)
✔ I'm going to start the gym next month. (a plan)

[[say:radhika| will and going to both talk about the future. What is the difference?]]

[[say:sir| Will is for a decision made at the moment of speaking, or a plain prediction. Going to is for a decision made earlier, or a prediction because the signs can be seen now. The waiter hears "I'll have the pizza". The gym is "I'm going to start next month".]]

3. The present continuous is used for the future when we have already made personal arrangements.

✘ I travel to Mumbai next month. (use am travelling)
✘ What do you do this evening? (use are you doing)

It is not used for a natural event, a permanent future situation, or when the main verb is be.

✘ I think, it is raining soon. (a natural event)
✔ I think, it will rain soon.
✔ I think, it is going to rain soon.
✘ People are living longer in the future. (a permanent future situation)
✔ People are going to live longer in the future.
✔ People will live longer in the future.
✘ Sagar is being a doctor very soon. (main verb be)
✔ Sagar is going to be a doctor very soon.
✔ Sagar will be a doctor very soon.

4. The present indefinite is used for a timetable, a regular schedule or an official arrangement, mostly with open, close, begin, start, end, finish, arrive, come, leave, take off and return.

✔ My plane leaves at three o'clock.
✔ The batch starts on 16th June.
✔ What time does the bus arrive?

> A past reference never takes will. If the sentence has last January, yesterday or ago, the verb is in the past.

✘ Radhika will visit Jaipur last month. (use visited)
✔ Radhika will visit Jaipur next month.

The concept. In a clause that shows time or condition, we do not write will, shall or would. The present indefinite carries the future meaning there. The main clause can still have will.

✘ He will tell us when he will get a job. (use gets)
✘ I will see you if I will have time. (use have)
✔ If you work hard, you will secure good marks.
✔ I will miss you when you move to another building.
✔ If she has any problem, she will tell you.
✔ As soon as I win the lottery, I hope to buy a Ferrari.
✔ Three hours will have passed when the bell rings.
✔ She will call me if she goes to the party.
✔ If it rains tomorrow, I will take an umbrella.

If the main clause has will, the clause beside it is in the present indefinite. If the main clause is in the present tense, the clause beside it can have will.

✔ It is interesting to see who will win.
✘ It will be interesting to see who will win.
✔ It will be interesting to see who wins.

The exception: if and when are not always time or condition words. Many students believe that if and when can never take will. That is wrong. If the clause is not a time or a condition clause, but a noun clause that answers a question (after know, ask, wonder, tell), then will can be used.

✔ I don't know when he will come. (a noun clause: it is the object of know)
✔ Please ask him if he will join us.
✔ I wonder who will win the match.
✘ I will tell you when he will call me. (use calls; this is a time clause)
✔ The court will punish the person who enters the restricted area.

[[say:radhika| So if and when never take will?]]

[[say:sir| That is what students assume, and it is wrong. Ask what the clause is doing. If it says "at the time that" or "on the condition that", it is a time or condition clause, so no will. If it is the thing being known, asked or wondered about, it is a noun clause, and will can stay. If the verb in the time clause is in the present, also ask whether it speaks of a future event or of a repeated one, and keep the main clause in the matching tense.]]

> With who in a relative clause, enters is preferred over will enter, although will enter is also seen.

Sequence of tenses. When the main verb is in the past, the verbs in the other clauses follow it into the past. Will becomes would. The one exception is a universal truth, which stays in the present.

✔ Radhika said that she would come the next day.
✔ I knew that she was trying her best.
✔ The teacher said that the Earth moves around the Sun. (a universal truth stays in the present)
✔ The product of any number and an even number is always an even number.

Some structures have a tense fixed by the structure itself. Learn them as patterns.

1. It is (high / about) time + subject + V2. The verb after the subject is in the past form, although we are talking about now. The past form tells us that the moment for the action has already come, and the action has not yet been done.

✘ It is high time Radhika calls me. (use called)
✘ It is about time you go home. (use went)
✔ It is high time you went home.
✔ It is time to go. (with to + V1 there is no subject)

[[say:radhika| "It is high time you went home": the time is now, so why the past form?]]

[[say:sir| The past form here is not showing time. It shows that the moment has already passed, as if it should have been done before. That is why it is the past form of the verb. The full story of this past form is in the Subjunctive Mood chapter.]]

2. This / it / that + is / will be + the first / second / only time. After it, the Present Perfect comes. With was, the Past Perfect comes. The count of times is a count of the experience so far.

✘ This is the first time I watched a Hollywood movie. (use have watched)
✔ This will be the second time I have voted against the ruling party.
✘ That was the only time she has called me. (use had called)
✔ It is the first time the teacher has asked me a question.
✔ This will be the first time I have scolded Radhika.
✔ This is the first time I am writing her a letter. (the writing is still going on)

3. By the time. It works with the past perfect and with the future perfect. In the past it states a fact. In the future it states a possibility, and the clause after by the time then takes the present indefinite, because it is a time clause.

✔ He had completed his work by the time I called him. (a fact of the past)
✔ He will have completed his work by the time I call him. (a possibility of the future)
✘ By the time the bell rings, the class had started. (use will have started)

[[tl: future-perfect]]

> Three more special structures sit in other units: the since clause (with the present perfect continuous), hardly / scarcely / no sooner (with the two past actions), and yet to (with the present perfect).