Tenses appear everywhere in SSC exams: gap-fill questions, rewriting sentences, error spotting, and essays. Most students freeze because they try to memorize 12 tenses. Instead, group them by meaning.
मराठीत समजून घ्या: काळ (Tenses)
१२ काळ पाठ करण्याऐवजी वाक्यातील वेळ दाखवणारे शब्द पाहा. तेच योग्य काळ सांगतात.
- every day, always, usually → साधा वर्तमानकाळ: She studies every day.
- yesterday, last week, ago → साधा भूतकाळ: She studied yesterday.
- tomorrow, next week → साधा भविष्यकाळ: She will study tomorrow.
- now, at the moment → चालू वर्तमानकाळ: She is studying now.
- when + भूतकाळातील घटना → चालू भूतकाळ: She was studying when I called.
- already, just, so far, since, for → पूर्ण वर्तमानकाळ: She has studied for two hours.
टीप: रिकाम्या जागेच्या आजूबाजूचे शब्द आधी वाचा. उत्तराचा संकेत तिथेच असतो.
The 3 Core Tenses
Present Simple: Use for facts, habits, routines. Form: V1 (base form). “She studies every day.” Past Simple: Use for completed actions. Form: V2 (past form). “She studied yesterday.” Future Simple: Use for plans, predictions. Form: will + V1. “She will study tomorrow.”
How to Choose the Right Tense
Step 1: Identify the time reference. “Every day”, “always”, “usually” = Present Simple. “Yesterday”, “last week”, “ago” = Past Simple. “Tomorrow”, “next week”, “will” = Future Simple. Step 2: Check for continuous action. If something is ongoing: Present Continuous “is studying”, Past Continuous “was studying”. Step 3: Look for completed vs. incomplete. If action finished and affects now: Present Perfect “has studied”, Past Perfect “had studied”.
Exam Strategy: Question Words Tell You the Tense
When you see a gap: “He ___ (read) a book.” “He usually reads…” = Present Simple. “He read…” = Past Simple. “He is reading…” = Present Continuous. “He was reading…” = Past Continuous. “He has read…” = Present Perfect. Pro tip: Words around the blank are clues. “Usually” = simple. “Right now” = continuous. “Already” = perfect. Master this and you’ll spot tense errors faster than other students.
All 12 Tenses in One Table
| Tense | Formula | Example | मराठी नाव |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | V1 / V1 + s | She walks to school. | साधा वर्तमानकाळ |
| Present Continuous | is/am/are + V-ing | She is walking. | चालू वर्तमानकाळ |
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | She has walked. | पूर्ण वर्तमानकाळ |
| Present Perfect Continuous | has/have been + V-ing | She has been walking since 7 o’clock. | चालू पूर्ण वर्तमानकाळ |
| Simple Past | V2 | She walked. | साधा भूतकाळ |
| Past Continuous | was/were + V-ing | She was walking. | चालू भूतकाळ |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | She had walked. | पूर्ण भूतकाळ |
| Past Perfect Continuous | had been + V-ing | She had been walking for an hour. | चालू पूर्ण भूतकाळ |
| Simple Future | will + V1 | She will walk. | साधा भविष्यकाळ |
| Future Continuous | will be + V-ing | She will be walking. | चालू भविष्यकाळ |
| Future Perfect | will have + V3 | She will have walked. | पूर्ण भविष्यकाळ |
| Future Perfect Continuous | will have been + V-ing | She will have been walking for an hour. | चालू पूर्ण भविष्यकाळ |
Five Tense Mistakes That Cost Marks
- Missing -s in the Simple Present: “He go to school” is wrong. Write “He goes to school.”
- Past form after did: “Did you went?” is wrong. After did, always use V1: “Did you go?”
- Present Perfect with a past time word: “I have seen him yesterday” is wrong. Write “I saw him yesterday.”
- since and for: since + a point of time (since Monday); for + a length of time (for three days).
- Mixing tenses: If your story starts in the past, keep it in the past to the end.
Practise: 10 Fill-in-the-Blanks
- She ___ (visit) her grandmother every Sunday.
- Look! The children ___ (play) in the rain.
- We have already ___ (finish) our homework.
- They ___ (go) to Pune last month.
- I ___ (read) when the lights went out.
- By the time we reached the station, the train ___ (leave).
- He ___ (call) you tomorrow.
- She ___ (live) here since 2015.
- ___ you ___ (see) the film yesterday?
- Next year, my brother ___ (join) college.
Show answers
- visits
- are playing
- finished
- went
- was reading
- had left
- will call
- has lived / has been living
- Did … see
- will join
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tenses are there in English?
Twelve: three times (present, past, future), each in four forms (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous).
Which tenses should I revise first?
The simple and continuous forms of all three times, plus the present perfect. They appear most often in grammar questions and in your own writing.
काळ ओळखण्याची सोपी युक्ती कोणती?
वाक्यातील वेळ दाखवणारे शब्द (yesterday, now, already, tomorrow) आणि सहायक क्रियापद (is, was, has, had, will) पाहा. या दोन गोष्टींवरून काळ लगेच ओळखता येतो.
Review Lesson 3 (Present), Lesson 6 (Past), and Lesson 7 (Future). Then practice with interactive questions.