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Summary
English with Lucy explains that just 5 tenses account for 96% of spoken English interactions, showing which ones are most essential and how to use them effectively.
Key vocabulary
tensespresent simplepast simplepresent perfect simplefuture with 'will'present continuouspast participleirregular verbscontracted forms
Grammar notes
Present simple with third-person subjects adds '-s' to the base verb — used for habits, facts, and scheduled events. "She lives in Belfast." "The play starts at 8."
Past simple uses '-ed' for regular verbs, but many common verbs are irregular — describes completed actions or repeated events in the past. "I bought a new phone last weekend." "We went camping in Wales every summer."
Present perfect combines 'have/has' + past participle for states or actions beginning in the past but continuing to now — often more common in British English than North American. "We've known each other since primary school." "I've broken my wrist."
Future 'will' is contracted to '-'ll' in spoken English, and 'will not' becomes 'won't' — used for spontaneous offers, promises, and predictions. "I'll give you a hand with that." "You'll drop that glass if you're not careful."
About this video
This video challenges the common teaching approach of learning all 12 English tenses by revealing that only 5 tenses—present simple (55%), past simple (21%), present perfect simple (8.4%), future with 'will' (6.4%), and present continuous (5.7%)—cover almost all everyday spoken English. Lucy walks through each tense with clear structural breakdowns and practical examples, such as using present simple to tell stories ("I'm at the beach yesterday when suddenly, I see a massive wave") and explaining why present perfect can be tricky ("I've broken my wrist" versus American "I just spoke to John").
This is excellent shadowing material because Lucy speaks at a natural, moderate pace with clear British pronunciation and a friendly teaching tone. She uses a mix of formal explanations and conversational asides—like her joke about her husband Will and the word "won't"—which keeps the language relatable and memorable. She also models authentic speech patterns, including informal contractions ('gonna', 'I'll') and natural story delivery.
The video suits B1 learners and above who are ready to move beyond beginner grammar books and focus on what actually matters in real conversations. A learner will gain both systematic understanding of when to use each tense and the confidence that mastering just five covers nearly all speaking situations. The quiz at the end provides immediate practice opportunities.
Idioms & expressions
Swiss Army Knife of tenses — a versatile tool that does many jobs; here, describing the present simple because it works in multiple situations (habits, facts, stories, even future scheduled events).
Give someone a hand — help someone with a task. "I'll give you a hand with that."
Chuck it down — rain heavily. "It's gonna chuck it down any minute!"
To be stuffed full of — to contain a large amount of something. "The PDF is stuffed full of information and examples."
Rise to the top time and time again — consistently appear as the most important or frequently used. "The same 5 tenses rise to the top time and time again."
Life experiences — memorable things a person has done or been through in their lifetime. "We use it for describing life experiences."
