The Complete List of
English Verb Tenses
Do you find
English verbs confusing? Take a look at this chart of English verb tenses to
help you understand when to use each one:
|
|
Simple |
Continuous |
Perfect |
Perfect
Continuous |
|
Present |
speak / speaks |
am/is/are speaking |
have/has spoken |
have been speaking |
|
Past |
spoke |
was/were speaking |
had spoken |
had been speaking |
|
Future |
will
speak going to speak |
will be speaking |
will have spoken |
will have been speaking |
Present Simple
Use the present
simple tense in English…
For general facts:
This shirt costs ten dollars. We speak
English.
For actions that happen regularly:
I take
guitar lessons on Wednesday nights.
Sarah sometimes eats lunch
in her office.
Present Continuous
Use the present
continuous tense in English…
For a continuous action in progress at the moment:
I‘m
currently studying biology at
university.
Bill can’t talk on the phone right now –
he‘s doing his homework. We‘re
watching TV at the moment.
For future plans/arrangements:
I‘m
having lunch with Jack tomorrow.
My sister is driving me to
the airport on Saturday.
Tim and Joanna are joining
us for dinner next week.
Present Perfect
Use the present
perfect tense in English…
With actions that happened in the past at an unspecified
time:
I‘ve
met several celebrities.
He‘s
been to Australia several times. We‘ve
already taken the test.
With actions that began in the past and continue to the
present:
I‘ve
lived in this house for five years.
Harry has worked at the
same company since 2017.
Note: Usually the verbs “lived” and “worked.” The
present perfect continuous can also be used – see the next section.
With actions that have never happened:
I‘ve
never broken a bone.
She‘s
never bought a car.
My parents have never eaten
sushi.
Present Perfect Continuous
Use the present
perfect continuous tense in English…
With actions that began in the past and continue to the
present:
I‘ve
been thinking a lot about the situation recently.
Laura‘s
been studying since 7 AM.
We‘ve been waiting for you
to arrive for over an hour.
Past Simple
Use the past
simple tense in English…
Read also: The 13 Tense Structures, click here
For events that started and finished in the past:
I worked as a research assistant from
2018 – 2020.
He called
me ten minutes ago.
We went to the Bahamas last
summer.
Note: Many common verbs are irregular in the simple
past. Check out these tips for learning irregular verbs in English!
Past Continuous
Use the past
continuous tense in English…
For events that were in progress in the past (often when
another one-time event happened):
Sorry I didn’t pick up the phone – I was taking a shower when you called.
He was sleeping on the
couch when I got home.
When I saw Tina and Sam at the park earlier today, they were arguing.
Past Perfect
Use the past
perfect tense in English…
For past events that happened BEFORE other past events:
By the time we arrived at the train
station, the train had already left.
When I woke up, I saw that my husband had made breakfast.
Five minutes after leaving my house, I realized I’d forgotten to lock the front door.
Past Perfect Continuous
Use the past
perfect continuous tense in English…
For past actions that continued up to another point in
the past:
Before
I lost my job, I had been working on
some important projects.
(“working” was a continuous action until the point I lost my job)
They
had been hoping Pat would make a
full recovery after the accident, but he died.
(“hoping” was a continuous action until Pat died)
She‘d
already been studying English by
herself for several years by the time she started taking classes.
(“studying” English by herself was a continuous action until the time
when she started classes)
Future Simple
There are two
ways to form the future simple tense in English.
Use the “going
to” form of the future simple tense…
For plans, arrangements, and predictions:
After I graduate from college, I’m going to study for a Masters degree.
We’re going to move to a
different city next year.
I think the current president is going
to be reelected.
Use the “will”
form of the future simple tense…
For promises, offers, predictions, and decisions made in
the moment of speaking:
Promise: I‘ll call you later.
Offer: We‘ll give you a
ride home.
Prediction: I have a feeling that this new singer will become very popular.
Decision made in the moment: I‘ll
have the spaghetti and a side order of salad.
Future Continuous
Use the future
continuous tense in English…
For actions that will be in progress at a time in the
future:
Don’t call me at 6, because I’ll be driving home from work.
At 10:30 tomorrow morning, we’ll be giving a presentation in
English class. He’ll be watching the football game tonight at 8.
Future Perfect
Use the future
perfect tense in English…
For actions that will be completed before a future time:
I will
have written a book before I’m 40.
We’re late. By the time we get to the theater, the movie will have started already.
We will have traveled to 12
different countries by 2023.
Future Perfect Continuous
Use the future
perfect continuous tense in English…
For actions that will continue up to a future time:
By the time she graduates, she will have been studying for 7 years.
By 7 PM, I will have been
working on this project for eight hours straight.
By
this time next year, they will have been
living in Japan for two decades.
Note: BY and BY THE TIME are commonly used with
the future perfect continuous.
RECOMMENDED: All you need to know about tenses. click here
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