Verb Tenses

Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place: in the past,

present, or future. The phrase verb tense is also used for grammatical aspects, which add more

details about the duration or time an action takes. When you combine the four grammatical

aspects with the past, present and future, you end up with twelve main verb tenses in English.

Verb tenses are essential for speaking English correctly, but with all the different forms and

functions, they can get confusing. In this guide, we give a quick overview of the English tenses,
including when to use them and how to make them, and give plenty of verb tense examples.

What is a verb tense?

Verb tenses show when an action took place, as well as how long it occurred. The main verb

tenses are the past, present, and future.

There are also additional aspects that give extra details, such as the length of time the action

occurred, which actions happened first, or whether a past action has an impact on the present.

These grammatical aspects are the simple tense, perfect tense, continuous tense, and perfect

continuous tense.

Verb tenses list: How many tenses are there in English?

The standard tense in English is the present tense, which is usually just the root form of the verb.

The past and future tenses often require changes or additions to the root form, such as

the suffix –ed for the past tense and the modal verb will for the future.

However, for each of the past, present, and future tenses, there are four different aspects that add

additional details. For example, the continuous tense shows that an action is ongoing. It can be

used in the present (she is sleeping), past (she was sleeping), or future (she will be sleeping).
Past, present, and future tenses

The past, present, and future are the central divisions of time in English. The present represents

actions happening now, while the past represents actions that happened earlier, and the future

describes actions that will happen later.

Simple tense

The simple tense is a grammatical aspect that refers to the normal forms of the past, present, and

future tenses—nothing fancy! Unlike the other aspects, it doesn’t add any new information. True

to its name, simple tenses are the easiest to form and have the fewest rules.

Perfect tense

The definition of the perfect tense is a little more complicated. It’s used for actions that relate to

other points in time, either completed or ongoing.

For example, in the sentence I have played soccer since I was a child, the perfect tense indicates

that the action occurred continuously in the past and still happens in the present. By contrast, in

the sentence I played soccer when I was a child, the simple past tense indicates that the action

occurred only in the past, and has no relation to the present.

The perfect tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb have with the past participle of the

main verb.

Continuous tense

We use the continuous tenses (also known as the progressive tenses) for ongoing actions or

actions that happen a while before completion. For example, They are studying all night means

the studying lasts many hours before it’s finished.

Please note that you usually do not use the continuous tense with stative
verbs like want, love, have, and need.
 The continuous tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb be along with the main verb’s

present participle, or –ing form.

Perfect continuous tense

When you combine the perfect and continuous tenses, you get the perfect continuous tense. It’s

typically used just like the perfect tense, except it describes ongoing actions that happen over a

period of time.

The construction of the perfect continuous tense uses a conjugation of the auxiliary verb have,

the auxiliary verb been (the past participle of be), and the present participle of the main verb.

English tenses examples: verb tenses chart

Past Present Future

I help my neighbor every I will help my neighbor

Simple I helped my neighbor yesterday.
day. tomorrow.

I have helped my I will have helped my neighbor

I had helped my neighbor clean
Perfect neighbor too much this a hundred times by the end of
his attic before I fixed his car.
week. the month.

I am helping my
I was helping my neighbor when I will be helping my neighbor
Continuous neighbor while he fixes
he brought me iced tea. next month when he moves.
up his house.

I had been helping my neighbor I have been helping my I will have been helping my
Perfect
for a year before he finally neighbor since I moved neighbor for a year next
continuous
thanked me. in. month.
Past tenses
Simple past

We use the simple past to show actions completed in the past, with no extra emphasis.

For regular verbs, you form the simple past tense by adding the suffix –ed to the end of the verb

(or just –d if the past tense verb already ends in an e).

Be careful of irregular past tense verbs, however. These don’t follow the normal rules and use

their own unique forms for the past tense. For example, the past tenses of the irregular

verb go is went.

Regular verbs: I picked up the glass, but it dropped from my hand.

Irregular verbs: This morning I went to the store, but I forgot the milk.

Past perfect

[had] + [past participle]

What if you’re talking about two different actions in the past and want to show that one

happened before the other? The past perfect, also known as the pluperfect, shows that one past

action happened earlier than another one.

She had arrived at the office before she realized it was Sunday.

I ran to my car when I noticed my wife had left already.

Past continuous

[was/were] + [present participle]

Use the past continuous to show an ongoing action in the past, especially if the action was

interrupted by another action. It’s also used for habitual actions that occurred in the past but not
in the present. It’s usually used with adverbs like always or adverb phrases like all the time.
My dog was whimpering in his sleep when the TV woke him up.

As kids, my friends and I were always getting into trouble.

Past perfect continuous

[had] + [been] + [present participle]

The past perfect continuous tense is used just like the past perfect tense, except it describes

ongoing actions that happened in the past instead of a one-time occurence. It’s often used with

the words when, until, and before to connect it to another past action.

Before he got his first job as a writer, he had been working as a proofreader.

I had been living on my friend’s couch for a year until they kicked me out.

Present tenses
Simple present

The simple present is the most basic of the English tenses. It’s used for individual actions or

habitual actions in the present.

Often the simple present is just the root verb with no changes or additions. The main exception to

this is when the subject is third person and singular. In this case you add the suffix –s. If the verb
ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z, you add –es. If the verb ends in a consonant and y (and the

subject is third-person singular), drop the y and add –ies.

Today I feel like a million bucks!

My brother carries the groceries while my sister stays on the couch.

Present perfect

[have/has] + [past participle]

 Although it’s quite common, the present perfect is one of the most difficult English verb tenses.

It is used to describe a few different types of actions, including:

 an ongoing action started in the past that is not yet completed

 the same action completed multiple times in the past and likely to be completed again

 an action completed very recently (usually with just or now)

 an uncompleted action that is expected to be finished (in the negative)

Additionally, the present perfect can be used to emphasize the significance of a completed
action, especially one that happened over time.

We have tricked him every April Fool’s Day since we were kids.

My niece has grown so much this year!

Present continuous

[am/is/are] + [present participle]

Use the present continuous to show an action happening right now or in the near future.

I am reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for the fifth time!

We are eating pizza tonight.

Present perfect continuous

[have/has] + [been] + [present participle]

The present perfect continuous shows an ongoing action in the present that was started in the

past. It is often used to emphasize the length of time.

We have been waiting for over an hour!

The team has been practicing nonstop for the tournament.

Future tenses
Simple future

Use the simple future for actions that have not happened yet but will later. To form the simple

future, just place the modal verb will before the root form of the main verb. (Note that if the

action will happen in the near future, you can use the present continuous instead.)

She will be president one day.

I will not go to the wedding without a date!

Future perfect

[will] + [have] + [past participle]

The future perfect shows an action that will be completed in the future by a specified time.

Because it depends on another time, the future perfect is often used with words

like by, before, at, or when.

By the time you read this, I will have already left.

She will have eaten lunch before her sister even wakes up.

Future continuous

[will] + [be] + [present participle]

Use the future continuous tense for future actions happening over a period of time, especially

when a specific time is mentioned. The future continuous tense also shows more certainty and

likelihood than the simple future.

By this time tomorrow, I will be drinking margaritas on the beach.

We will be attending a meeting from noon until 3 p.m.

Future perfect continuous

[will] + [have] + [been] + [present participle]

The future perfect continuous depicts future ongoing actions that continue up until a certain

point. Like the future perfect and future continuous, it’s used with a specified time.

In ten minutes, my parents will have been waiting in traffic for four hours.

I will have been eating healthy for a whole year by September.

Verb tense FAQs

What are verb tenses?

Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place: in the past,

present, or future. The phrase verb tense is also used for grammatical aspects, which show how

long an action occurs.

What are the different types of verb tenses?

The three main verb tenses are the past, present, and future, but there are also four grammatical

aspects: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. When you combine the three time

periods with the four aspects, you get twelve unique verb tenses.

What are some examples of the different verb tenses?

The simple tenses show actions happening at different times, while the perfect tenses show

completed actions that relate to different time periods. The continuous tenses are for ongoing

actions that take a while to complete. The perfect continuous tenses combine the perfect and

continuous tenses to describe ongoing actions that happen over a period of time.