ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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So you're probably not a stranger to verbs…and if you are, go introduce yourself! [Man walks to a bench of cats]

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Verbs are some cool cats.

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Anyway, now that you're friends, you probably know that verbs are those words we use to

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describe actions!

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Y'know, like running, jumping, swimming, flying…all those things we do on a regular basis! [Girl swimming in a river and man flying picks her up]

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…Uh…we mean…we don't…fly on a regular basis…we're not a superhero…hah…hah….ahem.

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Moving on.

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Did you know that when it comes to verbs, the timing can be just as important as the action? [Coop discussing verbs]

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Like if a bear is chasing you!

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Climbing right this very second might help you avoid him… [Man in a tree as a bear walks by]

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…but having plans to climb in the future won't be anywhere near as helpful!

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…Though the bear might appreciate it.

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So to make it clear when actions are taking place, we use verb tenses, which are just

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different forms taken by verbs to tell us when the action is happening. [Dino teaching about verb tenses]

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These tenses can get really complicated, because they indicate all sorts of different time

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relationships, and even the duration actions.

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Don't worry, we'll explain all of that mumbo-jumbo. [Boy and girl confused in class]

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We'll start simple, with the simplest tenses, which are called, predictably enough, the

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simple tenses.

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They're made up of the simple past, the simple present, and the simple future.

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Pretty…simple. [Coop listing the simple tenses]

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Heh.

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The simple past works exactly as you'd think: it shows something that happened in the past,

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and is now done and over with.

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Say you had a field trip to the aquarium last week, and everyone made it out alive! [Students walk onto school bus]

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Panes of glass can be surprisingly effective shields against sharks.

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Since the trip's done, you could use the simple past tense of the verb "go" to say:

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"We went to the aquarium."

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On the other hand, the simple future shows actions that haven't happened yet. [Coop teaching examples for simple future tenses]

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So if you have another field trip to the aquarium coming up, but it's still a week away…

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…you could use the simple future tense of the verb "go" to say: "We will go to the aquarium."

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Hopefully the shark hasn't learned any new tricks by then.

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Like…how to swim through glass… [Shark swimming with a hammer in it's mouth]

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The simple present is used to show actions that happen regularly.

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So if these field trips to the aquarium are starting to become a weekly thing, you could

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use the simple present tense of the verb "go" to say: "We go to the aquarium." [School bus arrives at aquarium]

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We just hope you and the shark don't get sick of each other after all those visits.

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And hey, even if the shark figures out how to swim through glass, we'll save you. [Shark breaks pane of glass]

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…Not that…we're a superhero with super strength…or anything like that…

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