English Through Tamil : Conquering Tenses and Verb Forms

What are Verb Tenses?

Verb tenses express when an action takes place. The three main categories of tenses in English are:

• Present Tense: Actions happening now, or regularly/habitually.
• Past Tense: Actions that happened in the past and are completed.
• Future Tense: Actions that are yet to happen.

Each of these tenses has additional forms to convey more nuanced aspects of time and completion.

Understanding Verb Forms

In addition to tenses, verbs change their form to reflect aspects like:

• Person: Who is performing the action (I, you, he/she/it, we, they)
• Number: How many are performing the action (singular or plural)
• Aspect: Emphasizes if the action is continuous, completed, or emphasizes a state of being.

Tamil Parallels

Here’s how you can use your Tamil understanding to grasp English tenses and forms:

• Present Tense: Tamil, like English, uses verb forms to distinguish between simple present (“I eat”) and present continuous (“I am eating”). Additionally, the way Tamil sometimes indicates habitual actions conceptually aligns with how the English present simple can express routines.
• Past Tense: Both languages modify verbs to show past actions. The Tamil past tense suffixes have parallels to how English verbs often add “-ed” for regular past forms.
• Future Tense: While the structures differ, the concept of expressing future actions is present in both languages. You’ll learn to use specific auxiliary verbs in English (like “will”) to achieve this.

Mastering the Tense System

Let’s break down the most common English tenses:

1. Present Tense

• Simple Present: (I work, he works) Used for regular routines, facts, general truths.
  • Tamil Parallel: Think about how you state habits or things that are always true.
• Present Continuous: (I am working, she is eating) Used for actions happening right now or ongoing processes.
  • Tamil Parallel: Directly aligns with a common Tamil present continuous form.
• Present Perfect: (I have worked, she has eaten) Used for past actions with an impact on the present, or experiences at an unspecified time in the past.
  • Tamil Parallel: Focus on completed actions with a connection to the present.
• Present Perfect Continuous: (I have been working) Used for actions that started in the past and continue up to the present.
  • Tamil Parallel: Consider how you emphasize the ongoing nature of a past action.

2. Past Tense

• Simple Past: (I worked, he ate) Used for completed actions at a specific time in the past.
  • Tamil Parallel: Like Tamil past tense, it pinpoints finished actions.
• Past Continuous: (I was working, he was eating) Used for ongoing actions in the past, often interrupted by another action.
• Past Perfect (I had worked, he had eaten) Describes an action completed before another past action.
• Past Perfect Continuous (I had been working) Used for continuous actions in the past that ended before another past action.

3. Future Tense

• Simple Future: (I will work, he will eat) Actions that will definitely happen in the future.
• Future Continuous: (I will be working) Actions ongoing at a specific point in the future.
• Future Perfect: (I will have worked) Actions that will be completed by a certain point in the future.
• Future Perfect Continuous: (I will have been working) Ongoing actions that will be completed by a specific future point.

Practice and Resources

• Verb Conjugation Charts: Find Tamil-English comparison charts for verb tenses.
• Tense Exercises: Use online practice exercises focusing on identifying and forming tenses.
• Real-World Examples: Pay attention to tenses used in English movies, songs, and books.

It Takes Time

Mastering tenses takes dedication. Start with the most common tenses, and gradually add complexity. Embrace your Tamil knowledge as a foundation, and you’ll find yourself conquering English tenses and verb forms with more ease!