Imagine you have to tell a story. How will you tell your readers that it is a story and not an event happening in real-time? You will probably begin with, 'Once upon a time, there lived a little boy.' You will be narrating a tale that you think has happened in a world that existed centuries ago. In contrast, if you are writing to a friend you are planning to visit, you would tell them, 'We will go to the amusement park (or wherever you wish!) together.' This is because you are talking of an event yet to happen.
This sense of time conveyed in written or spoken language is applied using tenses. It is important to use the correct tenses with consistency throughout your writing for effective communication. To help you with the same, our module on tenses in English grammar for Class 6 students covers all kinds of tenses, their forms and applications. Other students and parents can also use this to understand tenses better. PlanetSpark educators have compiled information in an easy and fun way. In this article, you will find all the information you need about tenses in order to study CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses.
What are Tenses?
Tenses show the time of action in a sentence. English uses three main tenses: past, present, and future. Each tense has four aspects simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous—making twelve total forms. Tenses help express when an event happens, happened, or will happen.
There are four groups for each of the three tenses:
- Simple
- Continuous
- Perfect
- Perfect continuous
We will discuss each of these forms, beginning with the English present tense for Class 6. The following section defines each kind of tense, its forms and its uses.
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Types of Tenses
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Present tense
The present tense describes an ongoing action or one happening in the present. 'You are reading this lesson' is an example of the present tense. While studying CBSE Class 6 English present tense, remember that it is further divided into four groups:
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Simple present tense
Also known as the present indefinite tense, the simple present tense describes things as they happen. It refers to states of being, an indefinite activity, or action. It also refers to a routine activity (The hawker brings the newspaper) and universal truths (the earth revolves around the Sun).
For simple present tense for Class 6, add 's' or 'es' to the main verb when the subject is a singular or collective noun.
Examples:
My mother goes to the vegetable market every morning.
Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan.
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Present continuous tense
This form of present tense describes events that are happening in real-time.
Use helping verbs 'is', 'am' (singular subject) and 'are' (plural subject) along with the main verb + ing.
Examples:
The birds are singing in my room.
I am going to the sweet shop.
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Present perfect tense
The present perfect tense denotes any action or state that started in the past and has been completed in the present.
Use the helping verbs 'have' and 'has' along with the main verb in its third form.
Examples:
Gayatri has written a poem.
Anuradha has come to my office.
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Present perfect continuous tense
This form of the present tense refers to an action that started in the past and has not been completed until the present.
Use the helping verbs 'have/has been' along with the main verb + ing.
Examples:
I have been looking for my thesaurus.
The girls have been dancing all day.
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Past tense
The second type of tense in English grammar for Class 6 is the past tense. The past tense is used for an action that has already happened. Example: 'I ate the chocolate.' Past tense is further divided into four types:
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Simple past tense
Also called the past indefinite tense, the simple past tense refers to events that have already happened and are complete. The past it refers to can be hours, a day, a month, years, decades or centuries ago. (Remember, 'once upon a time, there lived a boy…'?)
Use the second form of a verb (add 'd' or 'ed' to the main verb).
Examples:
Aaroosh travelled to Mumbai yesterday.
Rajshri baked cupcakes today.
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Past continuous tense
Also called past progressive, this form of past tense is used to describe actions that were happening in the past, and the subject was in the middle of that action.
Use the helping verbs 'was' and 'were' with the main verb + ing.
Examples:
Mother was baking a cake.
The girls were running in the street.
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- Past perfect tense
This form of tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another started.
Use the helping verb 'had' with the third form of the main verb (past participle).
Examples:
I had taken a nap by the time Anita brought tea.
The milk was sold out when I reached the dairy.
- Past perfect continuous tense
This form of the past tense refers to an action that started in the past and continued up to a specific time.
Use helping verbs had/had been along with the main verb + ing.
Examples:
Gayatri had been practising tenses before the exam.
Kamal had been failing his tests until I started coaching him.
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Future tense
The future tense describes an action that is going to take place in the future. In the future tense, the verb describes something that has not yet happened
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Simple future tense
Also known as the future indefinite tense, the simple future tense refers to events that are to take place in the future.
Use the helping verbs 'shall' or 'will' with the main verb.
Examples:
I shall bring you the medicines tomorrow.
I will watch a movie with my friend.
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Future continuous tense
The verb takes this tense when an action or event will be ongoing at a given point in the future.
Use the helping verbs 'shall' or 'will' with the main verb + ing.
Examples:
I will be writing a book.
I shall be visiting the doctor tomorrow.
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Future perfect tense
Used to describe something that will be completed by a given time in the future.
Use 'shall have' or 'will have' along with the past participle (add 'd' or 'ed') of the main verb.
Examples:
I will have written a book.
I will have visited the doctor by tomorrow evening.
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Perfect continuous tense
This form of tense describes an action or event that will start at a given point and continue for a certain period of time.
Use shall/will along with have been and the main verb + ing.
Examples:
I will be bringing the medicines.
I will be watching a movie with my friend.
In all, there are 12 forms of tenses you will study as part of CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses. To gain a complete understanding of tenses in English grammar for Class 6, students should be made to practise conversing in various tenses.
Try this engaging worksheet on present simple and perfect tenses, designed for Class 6.
Rules for usage
There are certain guidelines for the right use of tenses. Ensure that you use the same tense in all sentences of a paragraph. Beginning with simple present tense for Class 6, the subject-helping verb-main verb form combinations have been listed with each tense. Please go through these to understand which verb form to use with different tenses.
Present perfect and past tense: When to use
How do you differentiate between the past tense and present perfect tense? It depends on whether the action started in the past and has been completed now. If yes, use present perfect tense. An example is: 'I have written the letter.' This shows that you just finished writing the letter. If the action started and also was completed in the past, you should use the past tense. 'I wrote the dinner' means you wrote it sometime earlier. Remembering these simple rules will help simplify tenses in English grammar for Class 6.
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Conclusion
Tense is the form taken by a verb to represent the time when an event has occurred or will take place. Three types of tenses - past, present and future - describe the time of the action in a sentence. These are further divided into four groups - simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. Please go through PlanetSpark's module on CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses for a detailed study.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What do you know about CBSE Class 6 English Present Tense?
A. In CBSE Class 6 English, the present tense is used to describe actions or events that are happening right now or that happen regularly or habitually. It includes four types:
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Simple Present – for habits, facts, and general truths.
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Present Continuous – for actions happening at the moment.
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Present Perfect – for actions completed recently or with a result in the present.
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Present Perfect Continuous – for actions that began in the past and are still continuing.
Example Sentences:
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I go to school every day. (Simple Present)
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She is reading a book now. (Present Continuous)
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They have finished their homework. (Present Perfect)
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We have been waiting for the bus since morning. (Present Perfect Continuous)
Q. What is the difference between Present Perfect and Past Tense?
A. This is an important distinction covered in Class 6 English grammar:
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Present Perfect Tense is used when an action started in the past and is either just completed or has relevance to the present moment.
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Structure: has/have + past participle (V3)
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Example: She has finished her homework. (The work is done, and the result is relevant now)
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Simple Past Tense, on the other hand, is used when the action took place entirely in the past and is not connected to the present.
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Structure: verb in past form (V2)
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Example: She finished her homework yesterday. (Completed in the past, with no connection to the present)
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Q. What is the Rule for Future Perfect Tense?
A. In the future perfect tense, we talk about an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future.
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Structure:
Subject + will have/shall have + past participle (V3) -
Examples:
- By tomorrow, I will have finished the project.
- She shall have completed her assignment before 6 PM.
This tense shows completion of an action before a future time or event.
Q. How Many Types of Tenses Should I Learn?
A. In CBSE Class 6 English, you are introduced to the 12 types of tenses in English. These are based on the three main time frames:
Three Main Tense Categories:
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Present Tense
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Past Tense
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Future Tense