Tenses: Rumus, Contoh, dan Latihan Soal + Pembahasan

Dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tenses adalah salah satu aspek tata bahasa paling penting. Tenses digunakan untuk menunjukkan waktu suatu peristiwa, apakah terjadi di masa lalu, sedang berlangsung sekarang, atau akan terjadi di masa depan. Pemahaman tenses membantu siswa menulis, berbicara, dan memahami teks dengan lebih akurat.

Artikel ini membahas tenses secara komprehensif, mulai dari definisi, jenis, pola kalimat, hingga contoh penggunaan, sehingga siswa SMA dapat menguasainya dengan mudah.

Apa Itu Tenses?

Secara sederhana, tenses adalah bentuk kata kerja yang menunjukkan waktu kejadian sebuah peristiwa. Dalam bahasa Inggris, tenses terbagi menjadi tiga kategori utama berdasarkan waktu:

1. Present (sekarang)

2. Past (lampau)

3. Future (masa depan)

Setiap kategori tersebut memiliki empat aspek, yaitu:

• Simple → kegiatan selesai atau kebiasaan

• Continuous (Progressive) → kegiatan yang sedang berlangsung

• Perfect → kegiatan yang sudah selesai pada titik waktu tertentu

• Perfect Continuous → kegiatan yang berlangsung sejak masa lalu hingga titik tertentu

Dengan demikian, total ada 12 pola tenses utama dalam bahasa Inggris.

Jenis-Jenis Tenses dan Pola Kalimat

1. Present Tense

Present tense digunakan untuk menyatakan kebiasaan, fakta umum, atau kegiatan yang sedang terjadi saat ini.

a. Simple Present

• Pola: S + V1 (s/es)

• Contoh:

  • She goes to school every day.

  • The sun rises in the east.

b. Present Continuous

• Pola: S + am/is/are + V-ing

• Contoh:

  • They are studying English now.

  • I am watching TV.

c. Present Perfect

• Pola: S + has/have + V3

• Contoh:

  • She has finished her homework.

  • We have visited Bali twice.

d. Present Perfect Continuous

• Pola: S + has/have + been + V-ing

• Contoh:

  • He has been reading for two hours.

  • They have been waiting since morning.

2. Past Tense

Past tense dipakai untuk menggambarkan kegiatan atau peristiwa yang sudah selesai di masa lalu.

a. Simple Past

• Pola: S + V2

• Contoh:

  • She visited her grandmother yesterday.

  • They played football last week.

b. Past Continuous

• Pola: S + was/were + V-ing

• Contoh:

  • I was reading a book when she came.

  • They were watching TV at 8 p.m.

c. Past Perfect

• Pola: S + had + V3

• Contoh:

  • She had left before I arrived.

  • They had studied English before moving abroad.

d. Past Perfect Continuous

• Pola: S + had been + V-ing

• Contoh:

  • He had been working for five years before he resigned.

  • I had been waiting for two hours when the bus arrived.

3. Future Tense

Future tense menjelaskan kegiatan yang akan terjadi.

a. Simple Future

• Pola: S + will/shall + V1

• Contoh:

  • I will call you tomorrow.

  • They will visit Bandung next week.

b. Future Continuous

• Pola: S + will + be + V-ing

• Contoh:

  • She will be studying at 9 p.m.

  • We will be waiting for you at the station.

c. Future Perfect

• Pola: S + will + have + V3

• Contoh:

  • By next month, I will have finished this book.

  • They will have graduated by 2026.

d. Future Perfect Continuous

• Pola: S + will + have been + V-ing

• Contoh:

  • By 10 a.m., she will have been working for three hours.

  • Next year, I will have been living here for a decade.

Tabel Ringkasan Pola Tenses

Pentingnya Menguasai Tenses

1. Meningkatkan keterampilan menulis: Tenses membuat tulisan lebih jelas dan logis.

2. Membantu pemahaman bacaan: Tenses menandai waktu peristiwa dalam teks.

3. Mendukung kemampuan berbicara: Dengan tenses, komunikasi menjadi lebih tepat.

4. Mengurangi kesalahan grammar: Banyak kesalahan siswa berasal dari salah penggunaan tenses.

Latihan Soal Tenses (20 Soal + Pembahasan)

A. Present Tense

1. (Simple Present)
She usually ___ (go) to school on foot.
✅ Jawaban: goes
Pembahasan: Simple Present untuk kebiasaan → S (She) + V1 (go) + -es karena verb berakhiran -o.

2. (Present Continuous)
Right now, they ___ (watch) a movie.
✅ Jawaban: are watching
Pembahasan: Kata keterangan right now → Present Continuous. Pola: S + am/is/are + V-ing.

3. (Present Perfect)
I ___ (finish) my homework already.
✅ Jawaban: have finished
Pembahasan: Ada kata already → Present Perfect. Pola: S + have/has + V3.

4. (Present Perfect Continuous)
She ___ (study) for three hours.
✅ Jawaban: has been studying
Pembahasan: Ada durasi waktu for three hours → Present Perfect Continuous. Pola: S + has/have + been + V-ing.

B. Past Tense

5. (Simple Past)
They ___ (play) football yesterday.
✅ Jawaban: played
Pembahasan: Kata yesterday → Simple Past. Verb berubah ke V2.

6. (Past Continuous)
I ___ (read) when my mom called me.
✅ Jawaban: was reading
Pembahasan: Ada dua kejadian, yang lebih dulu berlangsung → Past Continuous. Pola: S + was/were + V-ing.

7. (Past Perfect)
She ___ (leave) before I arrived.
✅ Jawaban: had left
Pembahasan: Kejadian yang lebih dulu selesai di masa lalu → Past Perfect. Pola: S + had + V3.

8. (Past Perfect Continuous)
He ___ (work) for two hours when I visited him.
✅ Jawaban: had been working
Pembahasan: Kejadian sudah berlangsung dalam durasi tertentu di masa lalu. Pola: S + had + been + V-ing.

C. Future Tense

9. (Simple Future)
I ___ (call) you tomorrow.
✅ Jawaban: will call
Pembahasan: Ada kata tomorrow → Simple Future. Pola: S + will + V1.

10. (Future Continuous)
This time tomorrow, we ___ (travel) to Bali.
✅ Jawaban: will be traveling
Pembahasan: Ada waktu spesifik di masa depan → Future Continuous. Pola: S + will + be + V-ing.

11. (Future Perfect)
By next week, she ___ (finish) the project.
✅ Jawaban: will have finished
Pembahasan: Future Perfect menunjukkan sesuatu sudah selesai pada titik waktu tertentu di masa depan.

12. (Future Perfect Continuous)
By 2026, he ___ (work) here for 10 years.
✅ Jawaban: will have been working
Pembahasan: Ada durasi sampai titik waktu masa depan → Future Perfect Continuous.

D. Campuran Tenses

13. (Present vs Past)
When I was a child, I ___ (play) marbles every day.
✅ Jawaban: played
Pembahasan: Kata when I was a child → kebiasaan masa lalu → Simple Past.

14. (Past vs Past Perfect)
After she ___ (eat), she went to bed.
✅ Jawaban: had eaten
Pembahasan: Kejadian makan terjadi lebih dulu sebelum went to bed.

15. (Present vs Present Continuous)
Listen! The teacher ___ (explain) the lesson.
✅ Jawaban: is explaining
Pembahasan: Kata Listen! menunjukkan kejadian sedang berlangsung → Present Continuous.

16. (Future vs Present)
I will tell you after I ___ (finish) my homework.
✅ Jawaban: finish
Pembahasan: Dalam anak kalimat setelah after, when, before → gunakan Present, bukan Future.

17. (Present Perfect vs Past Simple)
I ___ (never/see) that movie before.
✅ Jawaban: have never seen
Pembahasan: Kata never + pengalaman hidup → Present Perfect.

18. (Past Continuous vs Simple Past)
While I ___ (walk) to school, it suddenly rained.
✅ Jawaban: was walking
Pembahasan: Dua kejadian → yang sedang berlangsung gunakan Past Continuous.

19. (Future Continuous vs Future Simple)
At 9 a.m. tomorrow, she ___ (take) an exam.
✅ Jawaban: will be taking
Pembahasan: Ada waktu spesifik di masa depan → Future Continuous.

20. (Future Perfect vs Future Continuous)
By the time you arrive, I ___ (cook) dinner.
✅ Jawaban: will have cooked
Pembahasan: Selesai lebih dulu di masa depan → Future Perfect.