---
title: "Talking About Time: First Tenses"
description: "Say when something happened. A language can mark time by changing the verb, by adding a helper word, or by leaving it to a time word, and the new language does it in its own way."
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/talking-about-time-first-tenses-mt_6526HcZG0R
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/talking-about-time-first-tenses-mt_6526HcZG0R.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Talking About Time: First Tenses

Say when something happened. A language can mark time by changing the verb, by adding a helper word, or by leaving it to a time word, and the new language does it in its own way.

Subject: Languages · Area: Grammar Across Languages · Ages 10 to 12
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/talking-about-time-first-tenses-mt_6526HcZG0R

## Ready when they can

- Say the same short sentence about now and about yesterday in the new language
- Point to the part of the sentence carrying the time
- Describe one way the new language marks time differently from English

## Lesson: Show time on the verb

First find the verb. It is the word that shows the action, like run or think. In she walked home, the verb is walked.

**Example.** In Spanish, hablar means to speak, but yo hablo means I speak. The ending o carries both the person and the present time. Three small endings unlock hundreds of present tense sentences.

Now point to the part carrying the time. Compare the same sentence about now and about yesterday. In English the ed on walked is the time flag for the past. The changed ending is the part carrying the time.

**Tip.** Master one tense fully before adding the next. Present, past and future each have their own endings. Ask when the looking happens: has completed looks back from now, while had completed looks back from an earlier moment.

**Recap.** Find the verb, watch its ending change between now and yesterday, and learn one tense at a time.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Word Order and Question Forms](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/word-order-and-question-forms-mt_aY-pVRzyEz)
- [Grammar Terms: Nouns, Verbs and Tense](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/grammar-terms-nouns-verbs-and-tense-mt_qzwQAOfurw)

## Opens up

- [Reading a Whole Story in a New Language](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/reading-a-whole-story-in-a-new-language-mt__TM_JDJS1F)
- [How Languages Cut Up Time](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/how-languages-cut-up-time-mt_lCx2JzFUeD)