Tense (Kaal): Types and How to Identify Them — Patwari Notes
This page gives the three main sub-types of tense and their further sub-types, a table for identifying tense from the verb's final form, and the difference between confusing sub-types like near past, doubtful, and probable.
- Class 1–8 level
- 7 min read
What is Kaal (tense)?
The form of the verb that indicates the time at which an action occurs is called kaal (tense). There are three main types of tense — present tense (the time happening now: वह पढ़ता है — 'he reads'), past tense (time that has passed: वह पढ़ चुका — 'he has read'), and future tense (time yet to come: वह पढ़ेगा — 'he will read').
Tense is identified from the verb's final auxiliary form: 'है/हैं/हूँ' is usually present, 'था/थी/थे' is past, and 'गा/गी/गे' is future. But there is one important exception — in 'खा चुका है' ('has eaten'), 'गया है' ('has gone'), 'पढ़ लिया है' ('has studied'), even though 'है' is there, the action is already complete, so this is the near past tense. On this basis, a sentence like 'सारा जीवन निचुड़ चुका है' ('a whole life has been wrung dry') is also treated as near past tense.
The six sub-types of past tense (Bhootkaal)
| Sub-type | Identification (verb form) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| सामान्य भूत — Simple past | Action simply happened in past time; आ, ए, ई, या | उसने पहिये का आविष्कार किया (He invented the wheel). राम गया (Ram went). |
| आसन्न भूत — Near/recent past | Action just completed; …आ है / चुका है | मैंने खाना खा लिया है (I have eaten my food). जीवन निचुड़ चुका है (Life has been wrung dry). |
| पूर्ण भूत — Past perfect | Action was completed well before; …आ था / चुका था | वह पिछले वर्ष दिल्ली गया था (He had gone to Delhi last year). |
| अपूर्ण भूत — Past imperfect | Action was ongoing in past time; रहा था / ता था | बच्चे खेल रहे थे (The children were playing). |
| संदिग्ध भूत — Doubtful past | Doubt about whether a past action happened; …आ होगा | उसने पत्र लिख दिया होगा (He must have written the letter). |
| हेतुहेतुमद् भूत — Conditional past | One action depended on another, but didn't happen; …ता, तो …ता | यदि तुम बुलाते तो मैं आता (If you had called, I would have come). |
Some books also give संभाव्य भूत (probable past) — 'शायद उसने पत्र लिखा हो' (…आ हो / 'perhaps he wrote the letter'). Doubtful past ends in 'होगा', probable past in 'हो'.
Sub-types of present tense
| Sub-type | Identification | Example |
|---|---|---|
| सामान्य वर्तमान — Simple present | Ordinary present-time action; ता है / है | वह रोज़ पढ़ता है (He studies every day). उपभोक्तावादी संस्कृति सामंती संस्कृति का रूप नहीं है (Consumerist culture is not a form of feudal culture). |
| अपूर्ण (तात्कालिक) वर्तमान — Present continuous | Action is happening right now; रहा है | संस्कृति की धारा बहती चली आ रही है (The stream of culture has been flowing on). माँ खाना बना रही है (Mother is cooking). |
| संदिग्ध वर्तमान — Doubtful present | Doubt about a present action; ता होगा / रहा होगा | पिताजी दफ़्तर जाते होंगे (Father must be going to the office). वह पढ़ रहा होगा (He must be studying). |
| संभाव्य वर्तमान — Probable present | Possibility in the present; ता हो / रहा हो | शायद वह आता हो (Perhaps he's coming). कहीं बच्चा सो रहा हो (Perhaps the child is sleeping somewhere). |
Don't assume future tense just because you see 'होगा' — in 'जाता होगा', 'लिखा होगा' there is a guess/doubt, so these are doubtful present and doubtful past respectively.
Sub-types of future tense (Bhavishyat Kaal)
| Sub-type | Identification | Example |
|---|---|---|
| सामान्य भविष्यत् — Simple future | Action will happen in time to come; गा/गी/गे | वह कल जयपुर जाएगा (He will go to Jaipur tomorrow). |
| संभाव्य भविष्यत् — Probable future | Possibility of a future action; शायद, संभवतः, संभव है + ए/ऊँ or सकेगा | शायद हमारा सुसंगत विकास हो सकेगा (Perhaps our coherent development will be possible). संभव है वह कल आए (It's possible he'll come tomorrow). |
| हेतुहेतुमद् भविष्यत् — Conditional future | One future action depends on another; यदि…तो | यदि वह पढ़ेगा तो सफल होगा (If he studies, he will succeed). |
Some books call the polite-command form ('आप कल अवश्य आइएगा' — 'please do come tomorrow') the imperative future. As with 'शायद … हो सकेगा', which is probable future — 'शायद' signals possibility.
Confusing pairs: quick identification
Simple past vs near past: 'उसने खाना खाया' — just a past action (simple); 'उसने खाना खाया है' — action just completed, effect carries into the present (near past). Near past vs past perfect: if it ends in 'है', it's near past; if it ends in 'था', it's past perfect. 'चुका है' is near past, 'चुका था' is past perfect.
Doubtful vs probable: doubtful implies a guess that the action happened, but it's not certain — ends in 'होगा/होगी' (वह आया होगा — 'he must have come'); probable expresses only possibility or wish — ends in 'हो/ए', usually with 'शायद', 'कहीं', 'संभव है' (शायद वह आया हो — 'perhaps he came'). Present imperfect vs past imperfect: 'रहा है' and 'रहा था' — just look at the final auxiliary verb.
Tense stays the same in a negative sentence too: 'वह नहीं आता' is simple present, 'वह नहीं आया' is simple past. When 'है' appears as the main verb — 'भाषा संस्कृति का अंग है' ('language is a part of culture'), 'यह रूप नहीं है' ('this is not the form') — the sentence is in simple present tense.
Memory trick / exam tip
'Check the ending, check the cue': first look at the verb's final word (है/था/गा/होगा/हो), then the cue word (शायद, यदि…तो). Always remember two rules — 'चुका है / लिया है' = near past, and 'शायद + हो/ए/सकेगा' = probable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sub-types does the past tense have?+
Commonly six — simple, near, perfect, imperfect, doubtful, and conditional past. Some books add probable past, making it seven.
What tense is 'वह जा चुका है'?+
The action is already complete and just finished, so this is near past tense — despite the 'है'.
What is the difference between doubtful and probable tense?+
Doubtful tense expresses a guess/doubt and ends with 'होगा' (वह आया होगा); probable tense expresses possibility and ends with 'हो/ए' (शायद वह आया हो).