Author’s work by Tymur Levitin — founder, director and senior instructor of Levitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur Levitin
Global Learning. Personal Approach.

Most people are taught that English has many tenses.
Twelve. Sometimes sixteen. Sometimes more.

They memorize tables, formulas and timelines — and still hesitate every time they speak.

That happens because English tenses are not about grammar.
They are about how English understands time.

This article explains why memorizing tenses does not work, what English time really is, and how to finally make tense choice logical instead of stressful.

Why Memorizing English Tenses Fails

If memorization worked, students would speak fluently after learning the tables.

But what actually happens is this:

  • “I know all the tenses, but I don’t know which one to use.”
  • “I translate in my head before I speak.”
  • “I freeze when I need to choose.”
  • “I feel that several options are possible.”

That feeling is correct.

Because tense choice is not mechanical.
It is interpretative.

English does not ask: When did it happen?
English asks: How do you see it now?

English Does Not Have Many Tenses — It Has Ways of Seeing Time

English does not divide time into boxes.
It organizes perspective.

At the core, English tenses express only a few fundamental ideas:

  • Fact
  • Process
  • Result
  • Experience
  • Intention

Everything else is variation.

Once this is understood, the system becomes small, logical and predictable.

Time in English Is Not a Timeline

Many students imagine time as a line:
past → present → future

That model is too simple for English.

English works with relevance, not dates.

Two sentences may refer to the same moment in the past — but express completely different meanings:

  • One focuses on the event itself
  • The other focuses on the connection to now

That is why tense choice is never just about “yesterday” or “already”.

Simple vs Continuous: Fact vs Process

The most basic opposition in English is not past vs present.

It is simple vs continuous.

  • Simple forms describe facts, states, completed ideas.
  • Continuous forms describe process, movement, temporary focus.

This distinction exists in:

  • present
  • past
  • future

And once the logic is clear, all continuous forms behave the same way.

Perfect Is Not Time — It Is Result

Perfect forms confuse learners the most because they are explained as “a tense”.

They are not.

Perfect is a relationship between an action and a reference point.

It answers the question:

  • Is the result important now?
  • Is this experience part of the present situation?

That is why:

  • Present Perfect
  • Past Perfect
  • Future Perfect

…all share the same internal logic.

Only the reference point changes.

Future Is About Intention, Not Prediction

English future forms are not about tomorrow.

They are about how the speaker positions themselves toward the future.

English distinguishes between:

  • decision made now,
  • plan made before,
  • expectation based on evidence,
  • neutral future fact.

That is why “will” and “going to” are not interchangeable — even if the time is the same.

Why Students Feel That “Several Tenses Are Possible”

Very often, more than one tense is grammatically possible.

The difference is not correctness.
The difference is meaning.

Each tense choice highlights something different:

  • responsibility,
  • distance,
  • involvement,
  • certainty,
  • attitude.

Once students understand this, they stop asking:

“Which tense is correct?”

And start asking:

“What exactly do I want to say?”

That is the turning point.

Tenses in Real Communication

In real speech:

  • people do not name tenses,
  • they do not think in tables,
  • they choose meaning instinctively.

That instinct can be trained — but only through understanding, not repetition.

This is why tense work in our lessons is always connected to:

How We Work with Tenses Online

Tenses are never taught in isolation.

Students:

  • compare similar situations with different tense choices,
  • see how meaning shifts,
  • rebuild sentences from perspective,
  • explain why one form fits better than another.

The goal is not to remember the tense name.
The goal is to feel the logic of time.

Meet the author and teacher:
https://levitinlanguageschool.com/teachers/tymur-levitin/

Who This Approach Is For

This article — and this method — is for learners who:

  • “know” tenses but hesitate,
  • are tired of memorizing,
  • want clarity instead of rules,
  • need confident real-life English,
  • use English professionally or academically.

It is especially effective for adults who already studied English before.

Time Is Not Grammar — Time Is Meaning

When tenses make sense:

  • speaking becomes calm,
  • writing becomes precise,
  • listening becomes predictable,
  • fear disappears.

English time stops being a problem.

It becomes a tool.

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