The three tenses (present, past, and future) are different from each other based on their timings of actions. Now, we will discuss the role of “feel’’ in different forms of tenses.
We can apply the verb “feel’’ in all the forms of the three tenses(present tense, past tense, and future tense) to show our experience of something physical or emotional by touching or watching something in a certain situation. We also use the word to think a particular way to get a sense.
Here are more interesting facts related to the usage of the word “feel’’ and its roles in tenses with relevant examples.
“Feel’’ in the present tense.
We use the verb “feel’’ in the form “feels’’ to construct the present indefinite tense for showing perceptions in a general sense. Let us see how “feel’’ acts in this tense.
We can use the verb “feel’’ in the present tense to show our mental or physical perceptions. It can also be used to the awareness of a person or object through touching or being touched.
When do we use “feel’’ in the present tense?
We can apply the verb “feel’’ in the present tense when we show our emotions or feelings to remain in a particular state.
How to construct a sentence with “feel’’ in the present tense-
| Type of present tense | Sentence formation and structure with “feel’’ in the present tense |
| 1. Present indefinite tense/ Simple present tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number/ second person singular or plural number/ third person singular or plural number + feel (root form) + object + remaining part b. The subject of the third person singular number + feels + object+ remaining part |
| 2. Present continuous tense/ present progressive tense | a. Subject of the first person singular number + am feeling + object + remaining part b. Subject of the first person plural number/ second person singular or plural number/ third person plural number + are feeling (present participle form) + object + remaining part c. The subject of the third person singular number + is feeling + object+ remaining part |
| 3. Present perfect tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number/ second person singular or plural number/ third person plural number + have felt (past participle form) + object + remaining part b. The subject of the third person singular number + has felt + object+ remaining part |
| 4. Present perfect continuous tense/ Present perfect progressive tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number/ second person singular or plural number/ third person plural number + have been feeling (present participle form) + object + remaining part b. The subject of the third person singular number + has been feeling + object+ remaining part |
Examples and explanations of “feel’’ in the present tense-
| Type of present tense | Example | Explanation |
| 1. Present indefinite tense/ Simple present tense | We never feel safe sitting on buses when the drivers drive recklessly. | The verb “feel’’ expresses our sense of dissatisfaction sitting on the buses in a general sense. |
| 2. Present continuous tense/ present progressive tense | Kamalakanta is still feeling a little weak after a tough match. | Here we find out the person’s feeling of continuous tiredness after a tough match. |
| 3. Present perfect tense | Sohini has felt quite happy about the arrangement of her parents to go on a picnic. | The verb “felt’’ here shows Sohini’s emotion and happiness for the arrangement of her to go on an outing. |
| 4. Present perfect continuous tense/ Present perfect progressive tense | The people of the hilly areas have been feeling cold for several months for extreme coldness. | Here we get to know the ongoing feelings for a period of time to be in a particular condition. |
“Feel’’ in the past tense.
A past tense is a grammatical tense form that expresses the actions of the past. Let us go through the aspects of how “feel’’ works in the past tense.
We use the verb “feel’’ in the past tense in the form “felt’’ to show our feelings by touching someone or something. We can get the feel of the things in our mental or physical perception in the past.
When can “feel’’ be applied in the past tense?
We can use the verb “felt’’ in the past tense when we have any need to show our feelings by noticing something or thinking in a particular way.
Sentence formation of “feel’’ in the past tense–
| Type of past tense | Sentence formation of “feel’’ in the past tense |
| 1. Present indefinite tense/ Simple present tense | a. The subject of all persons and numbers + felt (past form)+ object + remaining part |
| 2. Present continuous tense/ present progressive tense | a. Subject of the first person plural number/ second person singular or plural number/ third person plural number + were feeling (present participle form) + object + remaining part c. Subject of the first person singular or third person singular number + was feeling + object+ remaining part |
| 3. Present perfect tense | a. Subject of all persons and numbers + had felt (past participle form)+ object + remaining part |
| 4. Present perfect continuous tense/ Present perfect progressive tense | a. The subject of all persons and numbers + had been feeling (present participle form)+ object + remaining part |
Examples and explanations of “feel’’ in the past tense-
| Type of past tense | Example | Explanation |
| 1. Past indefinite tense/ Simple past tense | The students felt sadness when the time came for them to leave the school. | The completed perception of the students is found here. The students experience a certain emotion or physical feeling. |
| 2. Past continuous tense/ present progressive tense | The girl’s hair was feeling soft as she oiled it well. | This example shows the feeling of the thing that was continuing in the past as her hair was feeling soft. |
| 3. Past perfect tense | The child had felt miserable before his father came to receive him. | Here the verb “felt’’ is in the function of a finished action before another action. We find the child’s mental perception before his father came there. |
| 4. Past perfect continuous tense/ Past perfect progressive tense | Dona had been feeling sleepy for some time because she danced on the stage in hot weather. | The verb “feeling’’ has shown its action for some time in the past when we see Dona’s feelings of sleepiness after dancing on the stage in hot weather. |
“Feel’’ in the future tense.
A future tense is a tense form that helps us to know the actions of the latter period. Let’s see how “feel’’ works in the future tense.
We can certainly apply the irregular verb in the future tense to give someone a feeling or notice something in the future.
Sentence structure of “feel” in the future tense–
| Type of future tense | Sentence formation of “feel’’ in the future tense |
| 1. Future indefinite tense/ Simple future tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number + shall feel + object + rest of the sentence b. b. The subject of the second person singular or plural number, third person singular number or plural number + will feel + object + rest of the sentence |
| 2. Future continuous tense/ future progressive tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number + shall be feeling + object + rest of the sentence b. The subject of the second person singular or plural number, third person singular number or plural number + will be feeling + object + rest of the sentence |
| 3. Future perfect tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number + shall have felt + object + rest of the sentence b. Subject of the second person singular or plural number, third person singular number or plural number + will have felt + object + rest of the sentence |
| 4. Future perfect continuous tense/ Future perfect progressive tense | a. Subject of the first person singular or plural number + shall have been feeling + object + rest of the sentence b. Subject of the second person singular or plural number, third person singular number or plural number + will have been feeling + object + rest of the sentence |
Examples and explanations of “feel’’ in the future tense-
| Type of future tense | Example | Explanation |
| 1. Future indefinite tense/ Simple future tense | Sam will feel hot and utterly miserable as there is no ceiling fan in our room. | Here the verb “feel’’ along with will is used to show the feeling of hotness that Sam will feel in my house due to the want of a fan in our room in a general sense in the future. |
| 2. Future continuous tense/ future progressive tense | Kamalesh will be feeling cheerful when they will set out for Delhi. | Here the ongoing perception of Kamalesh in the future is mentioned. The particular state is referred to when someone will feel uneasy. |
| 3. Future perfect tense | I shall have felt like a stranger to my friends when I return to them. | The verb “felt’’ along with shall have shows its function in the future perfect tense in which we find I shall have felt stranger to my friends after my return to them. |
| 4. Future perfect continuous tense/ Future perfect progressive tense | We will have been feeling pain in our stomach for some time as there is no food available. | The verb “feeling’’ has given us its function of showing our feeling of pain for a period of time in the future. |
Conclusion
We will complete our learning of “feel’’ by applying it to framing the phrasal verbs such as “feel for’’, “feel out’’, “feel up’’, “feel up to’’ and so on. We can frame phrases with this verb like “feel free’’, “feel like’’, “feel your age’’, “feel your way’’, and “not feel yourself”, etc.
Hi…. I am Goutam Datta. I have completed a double M. A. in English and B. Ed. I am a creative writer. Currently, I am a part of the LambdaGeeks.
