Are you ready for a challenge?
Let’s try something ambitious: a review of ALL 12 English verb tenses.
I’ll present them here in a very visual way.
This way you can see all the tenses in one blog post.
Why would we want to do that?
Picturing what you want to learn is a fast and efficient way to understand how the tenses relate to each other.
And knowing how all 12 tense work in English is a big step toward being confident in your Business English.
And at the end of this post, I’ll have some quick, smart and efficient ways you can use these visuals to keep practicing your English tenses.
Let’s jump in!
Here is a quick and efficient introduction of each tense.
You’ll see when to use each tense, and some concrete examples.
Index:
1. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 1: Know the 3 Times
2. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 2: Know the 4 Forms
3. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 3: All 12 tenses to use them and examples
4. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 4: For more confidence with the 12 tenses try this next
5. Ideas for practicing just one tense in English for 2 – 5 minutes a day.
1. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 1: Know the 3 Times
There are three times you need to know in English:
The present, the past, and the future.
Also check out my lesson: Three Past Tenses In English.
2. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 2: Know the 4 Forms
The next thing you need to know about English tenses is that they each have 4 forms:
- Simple
- Continuous
- Perfect simple
- Perfect continuous
Here are the four forms for the present, past and future:
3. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 3: All 12 tenses to use them and examples
Now that you have an overview of all the tenses, let’s take a closer look.
Read over the infographic and you will see all three times with each of their 4 forms.
Each tense has an explanation of when to use it and examples.
If you zoom in, you can really see how they all relate to each other.
Also check out my lesson: Past Simple vs Present Perfect Simple Tenses
4. All English Tenses in 12 minutes. Step 4: For more confidence with the 12 tenses, try this next.
Remember, using visuals is extremely important.
It will help you become confident with these verb tenses. Why?
Our minds are made to understand what we see–and remember it.
When you study an image, your brain can understand the relationships between the tenses.
Everything from the colors to the location on the page can help you understand and remember.
You’re probably already used to learning English through listening or writing. Adding an extra way to learn and remember makes your learning more efficient.
Now you understand the relationships between the tenses in English.
And you can use this image any time you want to remind yourself how the tenses work.
But you can take it a step further.
First look a little closer and see if there’s a tense you don’t feel too confident with–yet.
Pick just one tense to start.
Not sure where to start? The present is the tense we use the most.
So it’s a great place to start if you want to become more confident in your Business English.
Next try any one of these ideas for 2-5 minutes a day and see how your confidence improves in a week.
5. Ideas for practicing just one tense in English for 2-5 minutes a day.
Make a card for the tense you chose. Use the infographic above for help.
- On side one write the tense you want to focus on, for example, “Present Simple”
- On side two write when to use it. For example, “Regular, repeated action. Facts, things that are always true”
- On side two, also write an example: “I start work at 8am.”
Find examples from your own life.
- Remember, pick just one tense.
- Look at the examples on the infographic…and then create your own.
- Invent a few sentences that are true for you, or that you could use in a conversation.
- Write down just 3-5 at a time.
Notice your verb tense in all the English you see and hear.
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- Can you find it when you are reading? Listening to your favorite podcast, or watching your favorite series?
Try it out in conversation. If you have a conversation in English this week, see if you can use your tense in your conversation.
Keep using effective learning strategies like these.
Keep coming back to practice consistently, even for short periods of time.
You will see your confidence in your Business English skills grow.
Also check out my lesson: Improve Your Business English Habits: Start with two minutes.
Take the next step: Improve your English in the comments
The best way to become more confident using Business English is to practice!
Here’s your weekly challenge for this week:
- In the comments, tell us which of the 12 verb tenses you’d like to become more confident with.
- Write an example of your own using the tense. Can you think of something that’s true in your life? Or something you would say in a conversation in English?
If you learned something from this lesson, please share it with your coworkers & friends. You can send your message to them in English for more practice!
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Christina
