5 Tenses = 96% of English

0:00 Here is something that will make you doubt everything you've learned in English.

0:05 Just five English tenses are used in around 96% of English interactions.

0:13 Yeah, out of all 12 tenses we learn,

0:18 you only need a literal handful in many conversations.

0:23 So, let's be efficient here.

0:25 I'm going to show you what those five tenses are and how we use them.

0:31 To make this even more efficient,

0:32 I think efficiency is my word of the month here.

0:35 I've also created a free PDF.

0:38 It's basically an ebook at this point.

0:41 It contains everything we discussed today,

0:44 all of the information about each tense,

0:47 extra examples, and a quiz to check what you've learned.

0:50 If you would like to download that for free,

0:52 just click on the link in the description or scan that QR code there,

0:57 sign up to my mailing list, and the PDF will arrive directly in your inbox.

1:02 Okay, here is your pie chart.

1:05 Let's start with the biggest slice.

1:09 The most commonly used English tense.

1:13 I wonder if you can guess what it is.

1:15 It is, drum roll, please.

1:18 About to do it myself.

1:20 It's the present simple.

1:22 It's used around 55% of the time in spoken English.

1:26 Next, we have the past simple at almost 21%.

1:33 So, over three quarters of spoken interactions

1:37 in English happen in just two tenses.

1:40 Following that, there is the present perfect simple at around 8.4%,

1:46 the future with will at 6.4% and the present continuous coming in with 5.7%.

1:56 The rest of the tenses are in that tiny slice of leftover pie.

2:01 Now, these figures are based on a study of spoken British English,

2:05 and as we know, there isn't just one variety of English.

2:09 There's North American English, Australian English, Indian English, and so on.

2:13 Within these varieties, there are countless dialects and regional nuances,

2:20 and people use tenses differently.

2:23 Spoken English itself changes depending on context.

2:28 A casual conversation with friends is quite different from a job interview.

2:32 And then, of course, there is written English.

2:35 In news reports and fiction books,

2:38 the past tense tends to be used more often than the present.

2:44 So, 96% here is an estimate.

2:48 The figures within it vary, but even with all of this variation,

2:52 the same five tenses rise to the top time and time again.

2:57 If you're interested in learning more,

2:59 I've put some links to sources in the description below.

3:03 But now, let's go through some of the most common uses of these five key tenses.

3:08 First, the present simple.

3:10 This is usually the first tense that people learn in English.

3:14 The structure is subject plus base verb,

3:18 or with third person subjects, a base verb with s.

3:23 I love it.

3:25 He lives nearby.

3:27 To see how to form negatives and questions,

3:31 and examples for the present simple and all the tenses to come,

3:35 make sure you download the PDF.

3:37 The link's down there.

3:38 So, why is the present simple used so much?

3:42 Well, it has a lot of functions when talking about the present.

3:46 But, it can also be used to refer to the past and the future.

3:50 It's the Swiss Army knife of tenses.

3:54 We use the present simple to talk about habits,

3:57 routines, and things that are true at the present.

4:01 For example, I often go to the gym on Wednesdays, or she lives in Belfast.

4:07 It's also used to discuss facts and general truths.

4:11 There are billions of stars in our galaxy,

4:15 and the present simple can refer to fixed or scheduled events in the future.

4:20 The play starts at 8:00.

4:23 Finally, the present simple often appears when we tell

4:26 a story or discuss what happens in a book or film.

4:30 So, I'm at the beach yesterday when suddenly

4:34 I see a massive wave coming right for me.

4:37 Or Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr.

4:40 Darcy.

4:41 Now, of course, we also tell stories in the past simple.

4:45 And that is our next most common tense,

4:48 used around 20% of the time in spoken interactions.

4:52 The past simple is formed by adding ed to regular verbs,

4:57 like start started, but some of the most common verbs in English are irregular.

5:03 Do you know the past simple of have, go, and be?

5:07 Had, went, was, or were.

5:11 Okay, and how do we use the past simple?

5:14 Well, we use it to talk about

5:15 completed actions or events that happened before now.

5:20 It might be something that happened once.

5:23 I bought a new phone last weekend, or something that happened several times.

5:29 We went camping in Wales every summer,

5:33 or something that was true for a long period in the past.

5:38 They worked together for over 30 years.

5:42 Next up, the present perfect simple.

5:45 This is formed with subject plus have or has plus the past participle.

5:52 Again, regular past participles are formed by adding ed to verbs.

5:58 Just like in the past simple.

6:01 For example, enjoy, enjoyed, enjoyed.

6:05 But, of course, there are many irregular past participles like eat, ate, eaten.

6:14 Now, my students often find the present perfect tense quite challenging,

6:18 but here's a basic overview.

6:20 Of course, there's more information in the PDF.

6:23 We can use it for states or actions that began in the past,

6:28 but continue to the present.

6:31 For example, we've known each other since primary school.

6:36 Began in the past, we still know each other now.

6:39 We also use it for describing life experiences.

6:43 I've read The Great Gatsby.

6:45 We've never been to Ireland.

6:48 And we use it when something that happened in the past

6:52 has an effect on or is relevant in the present.

6:56 I think I've broken my wrist.

6:59 It really hurts.

7:01 Now, it's worth noting that perfect tenses are more

7:04 common in British English than in North American English.

7:09 For example, in British English, we would say,

7:11 "I've just spoken to John." While in North American English,

7:16 speakers might prefer the past simple.

7:19 "I just spoke to John." Actually, can we get an American to say that?

7:24 I just spoke to John.

7:26 Thank you.

7:27 Our next tense is the future simple or the future with will.

7:32 This is my favorite tense because my husband's name is Will.

7:35 The form is subject plus will plus base verb.

7:40 I will see.

7:42 She will help.

7:44 Now in spoken English, will is nearly always contracted to apostrophe l l.

7:52 I'll.

7:53 She'll.

7:54 And so on.

7:54 They have one syllable.

7:56 It'll has two syllables.

7:59 The negative form of will is will not, usually contracted to won't in speech.

8:06 And fun fact, if my husband's ever rude to me,

8:09 I call him won't because he is not my will.

8:12 We make offers, promises, and spontaneous decisions with will.

8:18 For example, I'll give you a hand with that.

8:21 Meaning, I'll help you with that.

8:23 Or, you're going to the shop?

8:26 I'll come.

8:27 We also use it to express beliefs and make predictions.

8:31 It'll be amazing to see you again.

8:33 Or, you'll drop that glass if you're not careful.

8:37 However, a small study based on the sitcom Friends,

8:42 found that be going to appears more

8:45 often than will when referring to the future.

8:49 Be going to is definitely a key structure to use

8:52 when discussing future plans or making predictions based on present evidence.

8:58 In fast speech, we use the informal contraction gonna.

9:02 It's gonna chuck it down any minute.

9:05 It's going to rain hard soon.

9:08 All right, let's move on to our final tense, the present continuous,

9:13 formed with subject plus am, is, or are plus ing verb.

9:19 For example, I'm speaking.

9:22 Are you coming?

9:24 This tense is used for ongoing actions

9:26 happening at or around the moment of speaking.

9:31 Ellie's walking the dog.

9:33 They are creating a cycle path.

9:36 And we use it for future arrangements.

9:39 Mom's coming for dinner on Friday.

9:42 It's actually a very versatile tense.

9:44 We also use it for things we think are temporary,

9:48 things that are changing or developing,

9:51 and repeated actions that might be annoying.

9:55 Okay.

9:56 Now we've gone through our tenses,

9:58 let's do a short quiz together to test what you remember.

10:03 Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.

10:07 There are five questions, and I want you to use each tense from this video once.

10:13 One, Helen university in Glasgow last year.

10:20 The word in brackets is start.

10:23 Two, we them tomorrow morning, and your word is meet.

10:29 Three, I you back in about 5 minutes, and your word is call.

10:37 Four, bees to tell other bees where food is, and your word is dance.

10:46 And five, I Good Will Hunting, and your words are never see.

10:55 Pause the video now to have a think if you need more time.

11:04 Now I'm going to reveal all the answers.

11:06 Number one is started in the past simple.

11:10 This is a completed action in the past.

11:13 For number two, you could have used are meeting

11:17 using the present continuous to talk about a future arrangement.

11:22 We are going to meet them is also fine, expressing a future plan.

11:27 Three should be will call or I'll call.

11:32 That's a promise made with will.

11:34 Four should be dance.

11:37 The present simple for a fact.

11:40 And five should be have never seen.

11:44 The present perfect simple to talk about an experience up to now.

11:49 How did you score out of five?

11:51 Let me know your results in the comments and tell me

11:55 which of these five tenses do you need to practice the most?

11:59 That's it for today's lesson, but don't forget to download the PDF.

12:03 It is stuffed full of information, examples,

12:08 and there's another quiz because one isn't enough.

12:11 The link for that is in the description box, or you can scan the QR code there.

12:15 I will see you soon for another lesson.

12:23 [music] [music]