Past - present - future tense

Verb tense tells you when the action happens. There are three main verb tenses: present, past, and future. Each main tense is divided into simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive tenses.

THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE IS USED:

• You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions

THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IS USED:

• To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
  I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)
• To give instructions or directions:
  You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
• To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
  Your exam starts at 09.00
• To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
  He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

THE SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE IS USED:

• To predict a future event:
  It will rain tomorrow.
• With I or We, to express a spontaneous decision:
  I'll pay for the tickets by credit card.
• To express willingness: I'll do the washing-up.
  He'll carry your bag for you.
• In the negative form, to express unwillingness:
  The baby won't eat his soup.
  I won't leave until I've seen the manager!
• With I in the interrogative form using "shall", to make an offer:
  Shall I open the window?
• With we in the interrogative form using "shall", to make a suggestion:
  Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
• With I in the interrogative form using "shall", to ask for advice or instructions:
  What shall I tell the boss about this money?
• With you, to give orders:
  You will do exactly as I say.
• With you in the interrogative form, to give an invitation:
  Will you come to the dance with me?
  Will you marry me?

CONTRACTIONS

I will = I'll
We will = we'll
You will = you'll
He will = he'll
She will = she'll
They will = they'll
Will not = won't