Verb Tenses Explained, With Examples

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 helped my neighbor I help my neighbor I will help my
Simple
yesterday. every day. neighbor tomorrow.
I will have helped my
I had helped my I have helped my
neighbor a hundred
Perfect neighbor clean his attic neighbor too much
times by the end of the
before I fixed his car. this week.
month.
I was helping my I am helping my I will be helping my
Continuous neighbor when neighbor while he neighbor next month
he brought me iced tea. fixes up his house. when he moves.
I had been helping my I have been
I will have been
Perfect neighbor for a year helping my
helping my neighbor
continuous before he finally thanked neighbor since I
for a year next month.
me. moved in.

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 tense 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.