TENSES (काल) – Complete Guide for Competitive Exams
TENSES (काल) – Complete Guide for Competitive Exams
📚 Basic Tense Structure (मूल संरचना)
1. PRESENT TENSE (वर्तमान काल)
🔵 Simple Present (सामान्य वर्तमान)
Use: Habit, Universal Truth, Scheduled Events
| Subject | Verb Form | Example |
| He/She/It/Singular | V1 + s/es | He eats rice. |
| I/We/They/Plural | V1 (base form) | They eat rice. |
🧠 TRICK:
- Habit → He goes to gym daily.
- Universal Truth → The sun rises in the east.
- Timetable → The train leaves at 6 PM.
🟢 Present Continuous (अपूर्ण वर्तमान)
Use: Action happening NOW / Temporary action
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| He/She/It | is + V1+ing | She is singing. |
| I | am + V1+ing | I am writing. |
| You/We/They | are + V1+ing | They are playing. |
🧠 TRICK: “अभी चल रहा है” → Is/Am/Are + ing
🟡 Present Perfect (पूर्ण वर्तमान)
Use: Action completed JUST NOW or in RECENT PAST
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| He/She/It/Singular | has + V3 | He has gone. |
| I/You/We/They/Plural | have + V3 | They have arrived. |
🧠 TRICK:
- “अभी-अभी ख़त्म हुआ” → Has/Have + V3
- 🔑 KEYWORDS: Just, Already, Yet, Recently, Lately, Ever, Never
✅ I have just finished my homework.
✅ She has already eaten.
✅ Have you ever been to Delhi?
🟠 Present Perfect Continuous (पूर्ण अपूर्ण वर्तमान)
Use: Action started in past, still continuing
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| He/She/It | has been + V1+ing | He has been studying for 2 hours. |
| I/We/They | have been + V1+ing | They have been waiting since morning. |
🧠 TRICK: “कब से जारी है” → Has/Have been + ing
🔑 KEYWORDS: For, Since, How long
2. PAST TENSE (भूत काल)
🔴 Simple Past (सामान्य भूत)
Use: Completed action in the past
| Subject | Verb Form | Example |
| All Subjects | V2 (Past Form) | He went to school. |
🧠 TRICK:
- “बीता हुआ कल” → V2
- 🔑 KEYWORDS: Yesterday, Last night, In 2010, Ago, Before
🟣 Past Continuous (अपूर्ण भूत)
Use: Action was happening at a specific time in past
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| He/She/It/I | was + V1+ing | I was sleeping. |
| You/We/They | were + V1+ing | They were playing. |
🧠 TRICK: “उस समय चल रहा था” → Was/Were + ing
🟠 Past Perfect (पूर्ण भूत)
Use: Earlier of two past actions
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| All Subjects | had + V3 | He had left before I arrived. |
🧠 TRICK: “दो कामों में पहले वाला” → Had + V3
- ✅ When I reached the station, the train had left.
🔵 Past Perfect Continuous (पूर्ण अपूर्ण भूत)
Use: Action continued for some time before another past action
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| All Subjects | had been + V1+ing | He had been working for 5 years before he retired. |
3. FUTURE TENSE (भविष्य काल)
🟢 Simple Future (सामान्य भविष्य)
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| I/We (British) | shall + V1 | I shall go. |
| All Subjects (Modern) | will + V1 | They will come. |
🧠 TRICK:
- Traditional British: I/We = Shall, Others = Will
- Modern/Informal: सबके साथ Will (आमतौर पर)
✅ I shall complete the work. (Formal British)
✅ I will complete the work. (Modern)
🟡 Future Continuous (अपूर्ण भविष्य)
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| All Subjects | will be + V1+ing | He will be coming tomorrow. |
🔴 Future Perfect (पूर्ण भविष्य)
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| All Subjects | will have + V3 | He will have reached by 6 PM. |
🟠 Future Perfect Continuous
| Subject | Helping Verb | Example |
| All Subjects | will have been + V1+ing | She will have been working for 10 years by 2025. |
⚡ IMPORTANT TRICKS FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMS
Trick 1: Time Expressions से Tense पहचानें
| Time Expression | Tense | Example |
| Always, Often, Usually, Daily | Simple Present | He goes daily. |
| Now, At this moment, Currently | Present Continuous | She is reading now. |
| Just, Already, Yet, Recently, Ever | Present Perfect | I have just eaten. |
| Yesterday, Last night, Ago | Simple Past | He came yesterday. |
| At that time, While | Past Continuous | I was sleeping then. |
| Before, After, When (2 actions) | Past Perfect (Earlier action) | He had left before I came. |
| Tomorrow, Next week, In future | Simple Future | She will come tomorrow. |
Trick 2: 🔥 Most Important Rule – “Sequence of Tenses”
Rule 1: If + Present Tense → Main Clause = Will/Shall
- ✅ If you work hard, you will succeed.
- ✅ If she comes, I will go.
Rule 2: If + Past Tense → Main Clause = Would
- ✅ If he worked hard, he would succeed.
- ✅ If I had money, I would buy a car.
Rule 3: If + Past Perfect → Main Clause = Would have + V3
- ✅ If he had worked hard, he would have succeeded.
- ✅ If she had come, I would have gone.
Trick 3: 🔥 “Since” vs “For”
| Since | For | |
| Use | Point of Time | Period of Time |
| Examples | Since Monday, Since 2010, Since morning | For 2 hours, For 5 years, For a long time |
| Tense | Present/Past Perfect Continuous | Present/Past Perfect Continuous |
✅ I have been waiting since 8 AM. (Point of time)
✅ I have been waiting for 2 hours. (Period)
Trick 4: 🔥 “Before” vs “After”
| Before | After | |
| Earlier Action | Past Perfect (Had + V3) | Simple Past (V2) |
| Later Action | Simple Past (V2) | Past Perfect (Had + V3) |
✅ He had left before I came. (Earlier = had left)
✅ He left after I had come. (Earlier = had come)
📝 OLD EXAM QUESTIONS (पुराने प्रश्न)
SET 1: Basic Level (Tense Identification)
Q.1 She ______ to school every day. (SSC CHSL 2020)
- (a) go (b) goes (c) went (d) has gone
Answer: (b) goes ✅
Reason: “Every day” → Habit → Simple Present; She → Singular → goes
Q.2 I ______ the letter just now. (SSC CGL 2019)
- (a) write (b) wrote (c) have written (d) had written
Answer: (c) have written ✅
Reason: “Just now” → Recently completed → Present Perfect
Q.3 When I reached the station, the train ______ already. (Bank PO 2018)
- (a) left (b) has left (c) had left (d) will leave
Answer: (c) had left ✅
Reason: दो काम – पहले Train left, फिर I reached → Earlier action = Past Perfect
Q.4 She ______ in this office since 2015. (SSC MTS 2021)
- (a) works (b) worked (c) has been working (d) is working
Answer: (c) has been working ✅
Reason: “Since 2015” → started in past, still continuing → Present Perfect Continuous
Q.5 The sun ______ in the east. (NDA 2017)
- (a) rise (b) rises (c) rose (d) has risen
Answer: (b) rises ✅
Reason: Universal Truth → Simple Present
SET 2: Intermediate Level
Q.6 If you ______ hard, you will succeed. (SSC CPO 2020)
- (a) work (b) worked (c) will work (d) would work
Answer: (a) work ✅
Reason: If + Present (Simple) → Main clause will → Conditional Rule 1
Q.7 I ______ a new car last week. (SSC CHSL 2022)
- (a) buy (b) bought (c) have bought (d) had bought
Answer: (b) bought ✅
Reason: “Last week” → Specific past time → Simple Past
Q.8 The teacher ______ the lesson when I entered the class. (SSC CGL 2021)
- (a) explains (b) was explaining (c) had explained (d) has explained
Answer: (b) was explaining ✅
Reason: “When I entered” (past action) के समय काम चल रहा था → Past Continuous
Q.9 By next year, I ______ in this company for 10 years. (Bank PO 2019)
- (a) will work (b) will have worked (c) will be working (d) worked
Answer: (b) will have worked ✅
Reason: “By next year” → Future time → Duration → Future Perfect
Q.10 He ______ already ______ his homework. (SSC MTS 2020)
- (a) has / done (b) have / done (c) had / done (d) was / doing
Answer: (a) has / done ✅
Reason: “Already” → Present Perfect; He → has
SET 3: Advanced Level (Error Detection)
Q.11 Find the error: (SSC CGL 2022)
He has (A) / been working (B) / in this office (C) / since five years. (D)
- (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D
Answer: (d) D ❌
Correct: “…since five years.” should be “for five years”
Reason: Period of time → For (not Since)
Q.12 Find the error: (Bank PO 2021)
If I was (A) / a bird (B) / I would fly (C) / in the sky. (D)
- (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D
Answer: (a) A ❌
Correct: “If I were a bird…”
Reason: Imaginary condition → Were (Subjunctive Mood)
Q.13 Find the error: (SSC CHSL 2023)
When I reached (A) / the station, the train (B) / has left already (C) / before I arrived. (D)
- (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D
Answer: (c) C ❌
Correct: “…the train had left already…”
Reason: Earlier action → Past Perfect (had left)
Q.14 Find the error: (CDS 2022)
She is working (A) / in this company (B) / for the last (C) / five years. (D)
- (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D
Answer: (a) A ❌
Correct: “She has been working…”
Reason: “For the last five years” → Present Perfect Continuous
Q.15 Find the error: (SSC CPO 2023)
I shall (A) / go to Delhi (B) / if you will come (C) / with me. (D)
- (a) A (b) B (c) C (d) D
Answer: (c) C ❌
Correct: “…if you come with me.”
Reason: If + Present (will नहीं आता)
SET 4: Fill in the Blanks (Mixed)
Q.16 I ______ never ______ such a beautiful place before. (SSC GD 2020)
- (a) have / seen (b) had / seen (c) was / seeing (d) will / see
Answer: (a) have / seen ✅
Reason: “Never” + “before” → Present Perfect
Q.17 The movie ______ before we reached the cinema hall. (NDA 2021)
- (a) started (b) has started (c) had started (d) was starting
Answer: (c) had started ✅
Reason: दो काम – पहले movie started, फिर हम पहुँचे → Past Perfect
Q.18 She ______ in Mumbai since 2010. (SSC MTS 2023)
- (a) lives (b) lived (c) has been living (d) is living
Answer: (c) has been living ✅
Reason: “Since 2010” → started in past, still continuing
Q.19 The train ______ at 6 PM tomorrow. (Bank PO 2020)
- (a) left (b) has left (c) leaves (d) will leave
Answer: (c) leaves ✅
Reason: Scheduled event (timetable) → Simple Present का use Future के लिए
Q.20 If I ______ you, I would not do this. (SSC CGL 2021)
- (a) was (b) were (c) am (d) have been
Answer: (b) were ✅
Reason: Imaginary condition → Subjunctive mood → Were
📊 QUICK REVISION TABLE
| Tense | Helping Verb | Main Verb | Keywords |
| Simple Present | Do/Does (Neg/Int) | V1 / V1+s | Daily, Always, Often |
| Present Continuous | Is/Am/Are | V1+ing | Now, At present |
| Present Perfect | Has/Have | V3 | Just, Already, Yet |
| Present Perfect Cont. | Has/Have been | V1+ing | Since, For |
| Simple Past | Did (Neg/Int) | V2 | Yesterday, Ago |
| Past Continuous | Was/Were | V1+ing | While, At that time |
| Past Perfect | Had | V3 | Before, After |
| Past Perfect Cont. | Had been | V1+ing | Since, For |
| Simple Future | Will/Shall | V1 | Tomorrow, Next |
| Future Perfect | Will have | V3 | By, Until |
🎯 SUPER TRICKS SUMMARY
TRICK 1: Time से Tense पहचानें
- Yesterday, Last, Ago → Past
- Tomorrow, Next → Future
- Since/For → Perfect Continuous
- Just/Already/Yet → Present Perfect
TRICK 2: Conditionals (If)
- If + Present → will
- If + Past → would
- If + Past Perfect → would have
TRICK 3: “Since” = Point of Time (2010, Monday, morning)
“For” = Period of Time (5 years, 2 hours, a long time)
TRICK 4: “Before” का साथ → Past Perfect
“After” का साथ → Past Perfect (Earlier action)
TRICK 5: नियोजित कार्य (Timetable) → Simple Present
💪 PRACTICE TIPS
- Daily Practice: 10 मिनट रोज़ Tense के 10 सवाल हल करें
- Keyword Focus: Time expressions (Since, For, Just, Already) पर ध्यान दें
- Error Detection: पुराने पेपर्स में Error Detection पर ज़्यादा फोकस करें
- Memorize Table: ऊपर दी गई Tense Table याद करें
- Mock Tests: हर हफ्ते 50 Tense Questions हल करें
📌 MOST IMPORTANT FOR EXAMS:
- Present Perfect × Simple Past में confusion → सबसे ज़्यादा पूछा जाता है
- Since/For का use → हर परीक्षा में 1-2 सवाल
- Conditional Sentences (If…will/would) → ज़रूरी
- Subjunctive (If I were) → Tricky लेकिन आसान
About The Author
