English Tenses that most used daily

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There are so many tenses, it's hard to know which one to start with! Who says this all the time?
Yes, in English, there are at least 16 tenses used to describe various conditions and times. But there are four basic tenses that are frequently used in everyday life. You must master these four tenses to make it easier to communicate, both verbally and in writing.

Why These 4 Tenses​

As we know, tenses are a system or rule that governs sentence structure to create clear and effective communication. In everyday communication, what we convey usually revolves around what we're currently doing, what we've done, what we plan to do, or even general discussions or general information. Everything we say or write frequently is structured using these four basic tenses.

By mastering these four tenses first, you can immediately start chatting, writing (chat, email, even social media content), and understanding many things without getting confused. Learning from habits or things we practice every day makes the process practical and easy.

Simple Present Tense​

"Present" means the present, "simple" means simple, and "tense" refers to the verb form based on the time period used. So, to summarize, the simple present tense is used to express:

*Habit: I drink coffee every morning.
*General fact: The sun rises in the east.
*Schedule or routine: I work for KILC and I start at 8 a.m.

This tense has a simple pattern, making it easy to recognize. Its main characteristic is the use of the first form of the verb (V1) in the sentence. Here are the formulas and examples of using the simple present tense:

Types of Sentences	Formulas	Examples
(+)	Subject + Verb 1 (s/es) + object	I read books. He reads a book every night.
(-)	Subject + do/does + not + Verb 1	I don’t read books. He doesn’t read a book every night.
(?)	Do/Does + Subject + Verb 1	Do you read books? Does he read a book every night?

Present Continuous Tense​

"Continuous" means ongoing or ongoing. This tense is used to express something that is happening/being done. The main characteristic of this tense is the use of the verb + ing and to be (is, am, are) in the sentence structure to indicate something is ongoing. Usually, the sentence ends with a time adverb such as: now, right now, at the moment, today, this week, etc.

The following is the formula and examples of using the present continuous tense:

Types of Sentences	Formulas	Examples
(+)	Subject + to be (am/is/are) + Verb-ing	I am reading books. He is working today.
(-)	Subject + to be (am/is/are + not) + Verb-ing	I am not reading books. He isn’t working today.
(?)	To be (am/is/are) + Subject + Verb-ing?	Are you reading books? Is he working today?

Simple Past Tense​

"Simple" means simple, and "past" indicates past time. So, the simple past tense is used to describe events in the past, events that have ended, and are no longer happening. The main characteristic of this tense is the use of verb 2 and did accompanied by verb 1 for negative and interrogative sentences in the sentence structure to indicate something that happened in the past. Usually, the sentence ends with a time adverb, such as: yesterday, last night/week/month/year, days/years ago, when was/were, etc.

The following is the formula and examples of using the simple past tense:

Types of Sentences	Formulas	Examples
(+)	Subject + Verb 2 + Object	I visited my grandmother yesterday. He bought a new phone last week.
(-)	Subject + did not + Verb 1 + Object	I did not visit my grandmother yesterday. He did not buy a new phone last week.
(?)	Did + Subject + Verb 1 + Object?	Did you visit your grandmother yesterday? Did he buy a new phone last week?

Simple Future Tense​

"Future" means future, so this tense is used to describe future activities or conditions. The key words are "will" or "later." The sentence structure includes the words "will" and "shall" to indicate that the activity will be carried out. Some time adverbs used in this tense are: tomorrow, next week/month/year, soon, later, in the future, etc.

Here are the formulas and examples of using the simple future tense:

Types of Sentences	Formulas	Examples
(+)	Subject + will + Verb 1	I will call you tonight. She will join the English course next week.
(-)	Subject + will not (won’t) + Verb 1	I will not call you tonight. She will not join the English course next week.
(?)	Will + Subject + Verb 1?	Will you call me tonight? Will she join an English course next week?

Understand the Function of Each Tenses​

Instead of immediately memorizing, it's better for you to first remember the function of each tense:

Simple Present makes routine.
Present Continuous is for current events
Simple Past for stories from the past.
Simple Future make plans or promises.