Tenses for class 5 English
Concept : Simple Present Tense
Students will learn about simple present tense along with its definition. They will study some simple present tense examples and their usage. This concept also includes common mistakes that should be avoided while using this topic.
In this learning concept, the students will learn the following:
- To identify simple present tense.
- To form simple present tense.
Every concept is taught to class 5 English students with the help of examples, illustrations, and concept maps. Once you go through a concept, assess your learning by solving the two printable simple present tense worksheets at the end of the page.
Download the worksheets and check your answers with the worksheet solutions for the concept Simple Present Tense provided in PDF format.
Simple Present Tense Definition
The simple present tense is one of the sub-types of the present tense. The simple present tense is used to talk about events that are taking place at the moment.
Examples:
Uses of the Simple Present Tense
- We use simple present tense to talk about habitual actions or the things that happen on a regular basis, such as a hobby or a daily event.
Examples
- The simple present tense is also used to talk about actions that are universal facts. The simple present can also refer to the person who is talking about a fact that was true in the past. It is true in the present and will be true forever.
Examples
The simple present tense is also used to talk about scheduled events that will take place in the future.
Examples
How to Form the Simple Present Tense?
- In the simple present, the verb is the root form, and the subject is in the first or second person. When the subject is in the third person, the verb takes a ‘s’.
Examples
First Person Second Person Third Person I speak French. You speak French. He speaks French. - If the verb ends in a consonant followed by ‘y’, then the ‘y’ is converted into ‘i’ and adds ‘es’.
Examples:
The baby cries every night. (cry= cries)
- If the verb ends in a vowel followed by ‘y’, then an ‘s’ will be added to the verb.
Examples:
She buys groceries every day.
Common Mistakes
Do not forget to add the ‘s’ to the verb if the subject is in the third person singular.
Correct and Incorrect Usage
He run quickly. ✅
He runs quickly. ❌
Concept : Present Continuous Tense in English
The present continuous tense in English is used to mention current or continuous actions that helps the readers to understand when the action is taking place. In this chapter, students will learn about the present continuous tense meaning, usage and common mistakes that occur while using them.
In this learning concept, students will learn the following:
- Format of present continuous tense with examples.
- Guidelines for using auxiliaries with the tense.
- Form present continuous tense negative sentences.
- Formation of present continuous tense interrogative sentences.
- Uses of present continuous tense with examples.
Every learning concept for class 5 English students consists of examples, illustrations, and mind maps. They can assess their understanding by solving the two printable PDF present continuous tense worksheets given at the end of the page. After that, check your answers with the solutions provided in PDF format.
Definition:
- The present continuous tense refers to a continuing action or state that is happening in the present tense.
- The present continuous tense can also be called the present progressive tense.
Examples:
In the above example, these people are doing an action (eating) that is happening right now. Therefore, this is an example of the present continuous tense.
How to Form the Present Continuous Tense?
1. Every tense form has a format that we need to follow to be grammatically correct. The sentence form for the present continuous tense is as follows:
We use the present tense of the ‘be’ form (am, is/are) of the auxiliary verb followed by the verb in the present participle form. We form the present participle verb by adding ‘-ing’ to the main verb.
Rahul is study - ing for the exam
2. The auxiliary used in the present continuous tense changes depending on the subject of the sentence. Follow the guidelines given below for the different subjects used in the sentence.
| Sr. No | Subjects | Auxiliary | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singular Noun & Singular Pronouns (he, she, it) | is |
|
| 2 | Pronoun ‘I’ | am |
|
| 3 | Plural Nouns and Pronouns (we, you, they) | are |
|
Make a Present Continuous Tense Negative
To make the past continuous tense negative, we need to put the word ‘not’ after the auxiliary (is/are/ not).
Examples:
- I am not going to school today because it is raining outside.
- Akash is not participating in the music competition.
How to Make a Present Continuous Tense Interrogative?
In order to make a present continuous tense interrogative, we have to start the question with the auxiliary present “be verb” (is/are/am) followed by the subject and a present participle verb. The sentence ends with a question mark (?).
Examples:
- Is he making pizza for my friends?
- Are we going to the beach?
When do We Use the Present Continuous Tense?
1. We use present continuous tense to describe an action that is happening right now
Examples:
The woman in the picture is making food.
The action done by the woman is cooking.
2. It is used to describe an action that has already started and will continue till sometime in the future. That means the action is still happening in the present.
Examples:
The speaker has already started studying, and he will continue it in the future until he becomes an engineer. Therefore, the action (study) takes place in the present.
Common Mistake:
Sometimes we describe an action that we have planned to do in the near future, we use the present continuous tense. However, we have to use the future tense instead of the present continuous tense.
Examples:
The speaker is planning to do an action in the near future, that is, meet his friend in the near future. He hasn’t met his friend yet. In such cases, we can use the future tense.
Concept : Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense in English, is used to indicate an action that happened in the past. In this chapter, students of class 5 will know the tense definition , basic types of tenses , simple past tense definition and common errors that could occur while using them.
In this learning concept, students will learn the following:
- Formation of simple past tense sentences with examples
- Simple past tense rules with examples.
- Simple past tense structure with examples in sentences.
Every learning concept for class 5 English students consists of examples, illustrations, and mind maps. They can assess their learning by solving the two printable PDF simple past tense worksheet for class 5 given at the end of the page. After that, check your answers with the solutions provided in PDF format.
What is Tense?
- Tense is a verb that shows when an action happens.
- Depending on when an action happens, we can divide tenses into three types – a) Present tense, b) Past tense, c) Future tense.
Examples:
Present tense: I run every day.
Past tense: I ran yesterday.
Future tense: I will run tomorrow.
Look at the three examples. The verbs ‘run’, ‘ran’, and ‘will run’ in the sentences shows actions in the present, past, and future.
We have already learned about the present tense. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the past tense.
What is the Simple Past Tense?
- The simple past tense is used to show an action that has already happened or has existed before now.
- The action that was finished or completed at a particular time in the past and is over now, is written in the simple past tense.
- It is also used to describe past habits.
Examples:
The verb ‘called’ in the sentence shows that the action already took place at a particular time in the past which is ‘yesterday’.
Making of the Simple Past Tense:
1. The “be verb” in a simple past tense changes its form depending on whether the subject is singular or plural.
a) Singular nouns and singular pronouns like ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, and the personal pronoun ‘I’ are followed by ‘was’.
Examples:
- I was not awake when you called me.
- He was busy last night.
- She was a good student.
- It was cold yesterday.
- Rahim was an artist.
2) In order to make simple past tense negative, we use ‘did not’ before the base verb and the verb form stays the same. The verb is written in the present form.
Examples:
- We did not play cricket yesterday.
- He did not talk to me.
3) Most of the past tense sentences are written in the manner given below. Add ‘-ed’ to the base verb to make it a simple past tense.
Examples:
- Raghav played (play - ed) football yesterday.
- He lived (live – d) in Canada.
- I missed (miss – ed) my school days.
- I learned (learn – ed) French last year.
- I finished (finish – ed) my homework last night.
e) Add ‘-d’ to the base verb to write it in the simple past tense, if a verb ends with ‘-e’.
Examples:
i. Like – liked
I liked the blue dress in the shop.
ii. Believe – believed
The policeman believed everything the robber said.
Common Mistake:
1. We can’t change all verbs into simple past by adding ‘d’ or ‘ed’. If a verb ends with ‘-y’ and the ‘-y’ is preceded by a consonant, the ‘-y’ usually changes to ‘-i’, and then we can add ‘ed’ to the word to make it simple past.
Examples:
cry – cried
- I cried last night because my brother broke my computer.
- I cryed last night because my brother broke my computer.
2. Some irregular verbs don’t show any change in their verb form when changed from the simple present tense to tense simple past tense.
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| cost | cost |
| fit | fit |
| put | put |
| shut | shut |
| cut | cut |
| hit | hit |
| hurt | hurt |
Examples:
- I put my wallet on the table last night. Now I can’t find it.
- I putted my wallet on the table last night. Now I can’t find it
3. Some other verbs see a complete change in spelling when the verb form changes. Look at the examples given below:-
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| go | |
| rise | rose |
| see | saw |
| wake | |
| come | came |
| drive | drove |
| stick | stuck |
| fight | fought |
Examples:
- I woke up too early in the morning.
- I waked up too early in the morning.
Look at the mind map to have a better understanding of the concept.
Concept : Past Continuous Tense
The past continuous tense in English, is used to indicate when the subject was in the middle of doing an activity at a moment in the past. In this chapter, students of class 5 will know past continuous tense meaning, its usage and common errors that could occur while using them.
In this learning concept, students will learn the following:
- Formation of past continuous tense sentences with examples.
- Past continuous tense rules with examples.
- Past continuous tense structure with examples in sentences.
Every learning concept for class 5 English students consists of examples, illustrations, and mind maps. They can assess their understanding of the concept by solving the two printable PDF past continuous tense worksheets given at the end of the page. Thereafter check your answers with the solutions provided in PDF format.
Definition:
- The past continuous tense refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past.
- The past continuous tense is also known as the past progressive tense.
Examples:
What is the action done by the speaker in the given an example?
Correct! Sleeping
In the above sentence, the speaker was doing an action (sleeping) that was taking place when the robber came (This takes place in the past). Therefore, this is an example of past continuous tense.
How to Form the Past Continuous Tense?
1. We use the past tense of the auxiliary ‘be’ verb form ‘was/were’ followed by the present participle of the verb to form the past continuous tense. We form the present participle verb by adding ‘-ing’ to the main verb.
Examples:
Kevin was play-ing yesterday.
2. If the subject is a singular noun or singular pronoun (he, she, it) or the personal pronoun (I), the past auxiliary ‘be’ verb form used will be ‘was’.
Examples:
a. Suresh was watching a movie last night.
b. He was doing his homework when I went to his house.
c. She was buying clothes from the market.
d. I was crying because my mother scolded me
3. If the subject is a plural noun or plural pronoun (we, you, they), the past auxiliary ‘be’ verb form used will be ‘were’.
Examples:
a. Reeta and Rahim were performing a song at their school’s annual function
b. We were celebrating our victory last night.
c. They were waiting near the park for me.
4. To make the past continuous tense negative, we need to put the word ‘not’ after the auxiliaries ‘was’ or ‘were’.
Examples:
a. We were not attending the function, but our parents forced us to be present there.
b. Nilesh was not feeling well, so we stopped the meeting.
When do We Use the Past Continuous Tense?
1. We use past continuous tense to describe an action that was happening before another action started.
Examples:
The mother was washing the clothes before her son arrived. The action (washing) was continuously taking place when another action (arrived) happened.
2. It can be used to talk about an action that had already started and was still happening at a particular time. In these sentences the exact time is mentioned.
Examples:
These people started exercising at 4’o clock and finished at 6’o clock. So, the action ‘exercise’ was happening at a particular time in the past.
3. It is also used to show two actions that were happening simultaneously in the past.
Examples:
Both the actions ‘studying’ and ‘playing’ were already in progress at the same time in the past.
Common Mistake:
Past continuous tense should not be used to show habits in the past, instead in such cases the simple past tense should be used.
Examples:
I was cooking on my own during those days.❌
I cooked on my own during those days.❌
Concept : Simple Future Tense
The simple future tense is important for daily communication like other tenses. It is used to refer to an action that will happen in the future. In this chapter, students will know the future tense meaning, usage and exception to the rules while using them.
In this learning concept, students will learn:
- How to form a future tense sentence?
- Format of future tense sentence.
- Use of will and shall in future tense with examples in sentences.
- Structure of simple future tense negative sentence examples.
Every concept for class 5 English students consists of examples, illustrations, and mind maps. They can assess their understanding of the concept by solving the two printable PDF simple future tense worksheets given at the end of the page. After that check your answers for the simple future tense exercises with the solutions provided in PDF format.
Definition:
- The simple future tense refers to an action that will occur in the future.
- The future tense talks about assurance and facts.
- It is formed by using the helping verbs ‘will’, ‘shall’ and ‘be going to’ with the main verb.
Examples:
The sentence indicates that the action (mopping) has not taken place yet, but it will occur in the near future.
How to Form a Simple Future Tense?
i) We make the future tense by using the helping verb ‘will/shall’ along with the base verb.
a) Use of ‘will’:
- The word ‘will’ or ‘shall’ can be used for all subjects, whether it is singular or plural. For instance, ‘they will’, ‘he shall’, etc.
- The use of “will” refers to a kind of statement.
- It can also be used to show a promise, a consequence, a prediction about the future, or just a decision.
Examples:
1. 
2. I will buy a dress for you tomorrow.
3. If you don’t study well, you will not pass the exam.
4. I think it will rain tomorrow.
b) Use of ‘shall’:
- The word ‘shall’ is also used for almost the same purpose as ‘will’. But according to the traditional rule, we use ‘shall’ with the first-person pronouns (i.e. ‘I’ ). Hence ‘shall’ can also be used with second and third-person subjects to express determination.
- The word ‘shall’ often indicates suggestions, or some type of formal obligation.
1. 
2. You shall finish your homework before the class begins.
3. Rohan shall leave now since he has finished his homework.
4. He shall not violate the rule again.
ii) Another variation of the word will and shall is ‘be going to’. When using this phrase with the main verb, it is used to talk about the future. As it shows something that is planned to happen in the near future.
Examples:
a) Use the auxiliary ‘am’ if the subject is the personal pronoun ‘I’.
Examples:
I am going to cook dinner tonight.
b) Use the auxiliary ‘is’ if the subject is a singular noun or a singular pronoun (he, she, it).
Examples:
- He is going to go fishing the day after tomorrow.
- She is going to talk to her mother.
- It is going to rain today.
c) Use the auxiliary ‘are’ if the subject is a plural noun and pronoun (you, we, they).
Examples:
- Several workers are going to be promoted this week.
- You are going to face bad weather when you arrive at the airport.
How to Make a Simple Future Tense Negative?
We can make the simple future tense negative by putting the word ‘not’ after the auxiliary ‘will’ and ‘shall’ and ‘be going to’ verb.
Examples:
1. I will not go to school tomorrow.
2. Tony is not going to play with his friends from tomorrow.
Exception
In some cases, the present continuous tense may be used to denote the future tense.
Examples:
Hemali is visiting tomorrow.
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