Present tenses adalah stuktur kalimat yang digunakan untuk menyatakan (1) hal-hal yang bersifat fakta umum; dan (2) hal sifatnya berulang atau tidak pernah sama sekali terjadi. Struktur umumnya adalah :
S + Basic Verb/Aux + ANA
Simple Present : S + Basic Verb/Aux + ANA
Simple present digunakan untuk menyatakan hal yang dilakukan secara berulang, tidak pernah dilakukan atau fakta yang bersifat umum.
| Positif | Negative | Interogative |
| I go to school every day | I don’t go to school every Sunday | do I go to school every day? |
| They are football player | They are not football player | are they football player? |
| She visits doctor every Friday | she does not visit doctor every Saturday | Does she visit doctor every Friday? |
Present Progressive : S + To Be + Ving + ANA
Present Progressive digunakan untuk menyakan hal-hal yang sedang dilakukan atau sudah dilakukan di masa lalu, sampai saat ini masih dilakukan ada akan selesai di masa yang akan datang.
| Positive | Negative | Interogative |
| i am teaching | i am not teaching | am i teaching? |
| she is singing | she is not singing | is she singing? |
| we are going to market | we are not going anywhere | are we going to market? |
Present Perfect : S + Have/Has + Past Participle + ANA
| Positive* | Negative | Interogative |
| I have studied at UNM | I have not studied at Oxford | Have I studied at UNM? |
| She has worked on mine | She has not worked on Google | Has she worked on mine? |
| They have been in Japan | They have not been in German | Have the been in German? |
*Postive Present perfect tenses digunakan untuk menyatakan sesuatu yang telah dikerjakan secara sempurna dan saat disampaikan sudah tidak dilaksanakan lagi. Misalnya ketika seseorang berkata I have studied at UNM ini berarti orang tersebut sudah tidak lagi belajar di UNM.
Lantas mengapa tidak disampaikan dalam bentuk simple past?
Present perfect memberikan penekanan pekerjaan yang dilakukan telah dilakukan, sedangkan simple past pernah dilakukan baik itu selesai ataupun tidak.
Present Perfect Progressive : S + Have/Has + Been + Ving + ANA
| Positive | Negative* | Interogative |
| I have been studying physics for 20 years | I have not been studying botany | Have I been studying physics? |
| She has been being doctor for 5 years | She has not been being doctor | Has she been being doctor? |
| The Dahlan have been cooking Sushi for 7 years | The Dahlan have not been cooking Sushi for 7 years | Have The Dahlan been cooking sushi? |
Catatan :
- Sekalipun secara struktur benar, namun beberapa tenses sama sekali tidak lazim digunakan seperti Present pervect progressive. Misalnya kalimat She has not been being doctor. Kalimat ini tidak menekankan apa-apa selain menyatakan bahwa dia tidak pernah menjadi seorang dokter sehingga lebih praktis disampaikan dalam bentuk simple present yakni she is not a doctor. Contoh lain I have not been studying botany. Kalimat ini lebih praktis disampaikan I never learn Botany.
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