Introduction to Tenses: Understanding English Verb Tenses

Types

Form

Example

Simple Present

Sub + V1/s/es + Obj

I teach English.

Present Continuous

Sub + am/is/are + V1 + ing form

I am teaching English.

Present Perfect

Sub + has/have + V3

I have taught English.

Present Perfect Continuous

Sub + has/have + been + V1 + ing form

I have been teaching English.

Types

Form

Example

Simple Past

Sub + V2 + Obj

I taught English.

Past Continuous

Sub + was/were + V1 + ing form

I was teaching English.

Past Perfect

Sub + had + V3

I had taught English.

Past Perfect Continuous

Sub + had + been + V1 + ing form

I had been teaching English.

Types

Form

Example

Simple Future

Sub + will/shall + V1

I will teach English.

Future Continuous

Sub + will/shall + be + V1 + ing form

I will be teaching English.

Future Perfect

Sub + will have + V3

I will have taught English.

Future Perfect Continuous

Sub + will/shall + have been+ ing

I shall have been teaching.

positive

negative

question

present simple

subject + verb (+ s )

I eat.

She eats toast.

subject + do / does + not + verb

I don’t eat toast. She doesn’t eat fish.

(question word +) do / does + subject + verb?

Do you eat breakfast every day? When does she eat lunch?

present simple with ‘be’

subject + am / is / are

I am hungry. She is in a cafe.

subject + am / is / are + not

I’m not hungry. She isn’t happy.

(question word +) am / is / are + subject…?

Is he at home?

Why are you hungry?

present continuous

subject + am / is / are + verb-ing

She’s eating toast.

They are eating lunch now.

subject + am / is / are + not + verb- ing

He isn’t eating.

We are not eating at home.

(question word +) am / is / are + subject + verb-ing?

When are they eating? Is he eating now?

present perfect

subject + have / has + past participle

I’ve eaten breakfast. He has eaten lunch.

subject + have / has + not + past participle

We haven’t eaten yet.

She hasn’t eaten the chocolate.

(question word +) have / has + subject

+ past participle?

What have you eaten today? Has she eaten lunch?

present perfect continuous

subject + have / has + been + verb- ing

I’ve been eating.

She’s been eating biscuits all day.

subject + have / has + not + been + verb-ing

They haven’t been eating. He has not been eating toast.

(question word +) have / has + subject

+ been + verb-ing?

What has she been eating?

Have they been eating breakfast?

past simple

subject + past simple (verb +ed)

I ate an apple. She ate some rice.

subject + did + not + verb

She didn’t eat anything. They did not eat breakfast.

(question word +) did + subject + verb?

Did you eat the chocolate? What did they eat for lunch?

past simple with ‘be’

subject + was / were

I was hungry.

They were in a restaurant.

subject + was / were + not

We weren’t hungry. She wasn’t at home.

(question word +) was / were + subject…?

Why was she hungry? Were you hungry?

past continuous

subject + was / were + verb-ing

I was eating.

They were eating lunch.

subject + was / were + not + verb- ing

You weren’t eating.

She wasn’t eating a sandwich.

(question word +) was / were + subject

+ verb-ing?

Where were you eating? Was she eating an apple?

past perfect

subject + had + past participle

I had eaten.

She’d eaten lunch.

subject + had + not + past participle

We hadn’t eaten.

He had not eaten an apple.

(question word +) had + subject + past participle

Why had you eaten?

Had they eaten fish before?

past perfect continuous

subject + had + been + verb-ing

I had been eating chocolate all day. She’d been eating breakfast.

subject + had + not + been + verb- ing

I hadn’t been eating.

She hadn’t been eating an apple.

(question word +) had + subject + been

+ verb-ing?

Why had he been eating?

Had they been eating enough fruit?

future simple

subject + will + verb

I will eat later.

She will eat at home.

subject + will + not + verb

We won’t eat anything tonight. He will not eat fish.

(question word +) will + subject + verb?

What will you eat for lunch? Will she eat meat?

future continuous

subject + will + be + verb-ing

I will be eating at 8pm.

She will be eating a sandwich.

subject + will + not + be + verb-ing

They won’t be eating.

He will not be eating anything.

(question word +) will + subject + be + verb-ing?

What will you be eating? Will they be eating at 6pm?

future perfect

subject + will + have + past participle

I will have eaten lunch by 3 o’clock. She’ll have eaten all the chocolate.

subject + will + not + have + past participle

He won’t have eaten lunch yet. They will not have eaten their

sandwiches.

(question word +) will + subject + have

+ past participle?

When will you have eaten?

Will she have eaten dinner by nine?

future perfect continuous

subject + will + have + been + verb-ing

They will have been eating fruit. We’ll have been eating all day.

subject + will + not + have + been + verb-ing

I won’t have been eating fish. They will not have been eating lunch.

(question word +) will + subject + have

+ been + verb-ing?

What will she have been eating?

Will you have been eating chocolate?