Using the present to talk about the past: BBC English Masterclass

Improve your English grammar with the BBC. Of course you all know that we use the present tenses to talk about the present, but did you know that we also use the present tenses to talk about the past?! Watch this free online English lesson to find out how.

More in this series:

Using 'what' to give emphasis

5 ways to talk about the future:

Using 'which' to add information:

Linking words of contrast:

How to mix conditionals:

#learnenglish #bbcmasterclass #tenses

TRANSCRIPT
Hi Sian here for BBC Learning English. I have a great joke for you. So, a pony walks into a bar and whispers "Can I have a beer?" The barman replies, "Of course you can, but why are you whispering?" And the pony says "Because I'm a little hoarse." Get it? A pony is 'a little horse'! Ok, it's not the best joke, but did you notice what tense I used to tell the joke? I used the present not the past. We often use the present to talk about the past, so I'm going to share with you a few ways that we do this.

Number one: When telling an exciting story. Last year I was swimming off the coast of New Zealand, when suddenly I see a shark coming up behind me. Everyone starts screaming. I swim as fast as I can… It was very scary!

Did you notice? I started the story in the past, and then when I got to the exciting part of the story, I switched to the present. We do this to make the exciting part of the story more dramatic for the listener.

Number two: In newspaper headlines. I actually made it into the newspapers after that scary experience. Here is the headline: "Terrified swimmer is chased out of sea." So, newspaper journalists often use the present simple 'is chased' rather than the past 'was chased'. They do this to make the story more fresh and immediate and dramatic.

Number three: With hear, tell, gather, say. I hear you're getting married! Did you notice, I used the present form of 'hear' rather than the past? We do this because we want to put more emphasis on what I heard, rather than the fact that I heard it. We also do it with verbs like, say, tell and gather. For example, She says she's leaving the country!

[bbclearningenglish]

Let's talk about the past... Archaeologists working in the buried Roman city of Pompeii say they have uncovered a "sorcerer's treasure trove" of objects.

[Alzain]

Sian is my best teacher ever. Thank you for all you done for us.

[muradsflv]

I like Sian. She's beautiful and her videos are very interesting.

[mappangaraberbagi]

Thanks. I am a historian. My problems are how to describing events in the past using English, especially using good sentences.

[mad]

Sian you are the Best!... We need more of your lrssons

[bijayarashmijena]

We also use present tense in our language....❤️❤️❤️ thanks a lot to tell us that we able use present in past ...

[behnamlotfi]

Sian is great. I love her performances. Well done.

[samerabd]

i love your way of teaching, it is shorter and easier and have a lot of inf ... so thanks for that from my heart

[denisebranquinho]

we also use the present to talk about the past in Portuguese!

[MegaBear]

Sian is simply the best teacher at BBC Learning English. I like all of her lessons. Her accent is amazing :)

[Kevinwisdom]

Wow, you solved my puzzle! I had been always not sure which tense I should choose when it comes to like 'I heard xx' or 'I hear xx'. THANKS, BBC & Sian

[heimlichvonbladderburst]

Judgement is necessary, especially where sensationalising a story by using the present tense can sound goulish. There is an example of this on today's BBC News website where a report on a disturbing matter that happened a few years back is written in the present tense which makes it sound all up-beat and breathless as you read it. However, the story in question is a deeply sad matter that resulted in a woman going to prison and other people being falsely accused of crimes. As the matter was now closed, past tense should have been used.

[przemekx]

very very nice presenter and lovely intonation

[calebcc]

Does anyone get the joke at the first time?

I didn't because I didn't know the word "hoarse". Now I do and I'll never forget it thanks to this joke :)

[randeepsingh]

💕💕💕she teaches really impressive idea 💡 to switch my mind

[cheeehus]

THANK YOU...I've been waiting this for so long

[vahidjavadi]

great, but it's easy for you to use that as a piece of cake for me it's hard but I should give it a try, you are fantastic

[franklinquinchoconcha]

I love the British accent, but I'm studying the American English. By the way thanks a lot for these material :D

[hothiphuongthao]

Thanks for video!! I am a beginer. I cann't understand all of the video, but i will try. ( if i write wrong, help me please!! ^^

[huonghoang-hvll]

it was a great video, i have never heard about using the present to talk about the past before. thank you bbclearning english for this extremely new thing. but can you explain to me for the first joke which Sain said at the beginning of the video, i dont understand why it was joking? thank you so much