In order to make it easy for people to understand and remember, I arranged them as follows:
1. Present tense:
Ordinary tense (for example, he work hard means he works hard)
He is reading means he is reading.
When finished (for example, he has finished, which means he has finished)
He has been writing for two hours.
2. Past tense:
Ordinary tense (for example, he worked hard means that he used to work very hard)
He said that he was reading last night.
He has finished it since you arrived.
This means that he used to write.
3. Future tense:
Ordinary tense (for example, he will work hard, which means he will work hard)
He will read, which means he will read.
By tomorrow, he will have finished.
He will have stayed there for ten years by next month.
4. Past tense and future tense
Ordinary tense (for example, he will work hard, which means that he once worked hard)
He will work hard, which means that he has been working hard for some time.
He will have finished it by last month.
He had been there for ten years by last month.
Differences and connections:
Present simple tense and present perfect tense
1. I come from Shanghai (Shanghainese)
I'm from Shanghai.
2. You read well. (Emphasis on ability)
You read very well. (Emphasize an action that has just been completed)
I forgot. (I can't think of it at the moment)
I have forgotten. I still don't remember, but I may remember.
Present simple tense and present continuous tense
1. He works hard. He works hard. (emphasis on now)
2. What do you do? What are you doing? (What are you doing)
3. Here comes the bus! Here comes the bus. (The scene of the car coming)
Present perfect tense and past simple tense
1. I met him this morning. (still in the morning)
I saw him this morning.
2. Who opened the window? (The window is still open)
Who opened the window? It doesn't matter now, the window may have been closed.
Have you ever heard him sing? He may not like singing.
Have you ever heard him sing? Have you ever heard him sing? He may be a singer.
Past perfect tense and past simple tense
1. I rode a camel here after I graduated from middle school. (Every two actions)
I came here after I graduated from middle school. (There is a gap between the two actions, emphasizing the concept of order)
I waited until I saw him.
I waited until I saw him.
We hope he will come. We hope he will come.
We had hoped that he would come.
Past continuous tense and past simple tense
1. I read a book yesterday.
I was reading a book yesterday.
The guests have arrived.
The guests are arriving. (Guests arrive one after another)
He woke up from a dream.
He is waking up from a dream.
Future simple tense and present continuous tense
1. Will he come? Will he come? This is something that happened recently.
2. She will have a child.
She's going to have a baby.
I'm going to see him tonight.
I want to see him tonight.
The present simple tense and the past simple tense
1. Do you want to see me?
Do you want to see me? (out of courtesy)
This is what I want to say.
That's what I'm talking about. (That's all I have to say)
What do you think of this movie? (at the movies)
What do you think of this movie? (After watching the movie)
Present perfect tense and present perfect continuous tense
1. Someone called you.
Someone keeps calling you. (keeps calling)
I have read this novel.
I have been reading this novel.
He has lived here for six weeks.
He has lived here for six weeks.
Present simple tense and past perfect tense
1. I hope he will come.
I had hoped that he would come. (Contrary to the fact)
(Words often used in this way are: expectation, thinking, intention, meaning, support)
There are so many tenses in English because the English language attaches great importance to the relative relationship of time, such as: present, past, future, past and future, past and future, past and present, etc. Therefore, when understanding tenses, we must pay attention to which time or time period the subject's actions are relative, express them in different tenses and compare them with different time periods.