The English Tense System
The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic English tenses*. For each tense we look at:
Structure: How do we make the tense?
Use: When and why do we use the tense?
Some lessons look at additional matters, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your
understanding.
Present Simple
I do, I do do
Present Continuous
I am doing
Present Perfect
I have done
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been doing
Past Simple
I did, I did do
Past Continuous
I was doing
Past Perfect
I had done
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been doing
Future Simple
I will do
Future Continuous
I will be doing
Future Perfect
I will have done
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been doing
English Tense System
In some languages, verb tenses are not very important or do not
even exist. In English, the concept of tense is very important.
On these pages we look at how to avoid confusing tense with
time, and the structure of the 12 basic tenses, with examples
using a regular verb, an irregular verb and the verb "be".
Test your understanding of these pages with our English Tense
System Quiz.
Tense and Time
Don't confuse the name of a tense with time!
It is important not to confuse the name of a verb tense with the
way we use it to talk about time.
For example, a present tense does not always refer to present
time:
I hope it rains tomorrow.
"rains" is present simple, but it refers here to future time
(tomorrow)
Or a past tense does not always refer to past time:
If I had some money now, I could buy it.
"had" is past simple but it refers here to present time (now)
More about Tense and Time →
Basic Tenses
12 tenses in active voice + 12 in passive = 24
For past and present, there are 2 non-complex tenses + 6
complex tenses (using auxiliary or helping verbs).
To these, we can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using the
modal auxiliary verbs will/shall).
This makes a total of 12 tenses in the active voice.
Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice.
See charts and examples for Basic Tenses →
Basic Tenses with Regular Verbs
The usual structure of basic tenses with regular verbs is:
+ positi subject + auxiliary + main
ve verb
- negati subject + auxiliary + not +
ve main verb
? questi auxiliary + subject + main
on verb
And here are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct
the tenses:
base past past present
V1 simple V2 participle V3 participle -ing
work worked worked working
See charts and examples for Basic Tenses with Regular Verbs →
Basic Tenses with Irregular Verbs
The usual structure of basic tenses with irregular verbs is
essentially the same as for regular verbs:
+ positi subject + auxiliary + main
ve verb
- negati subject + auxiliary + not +
ve main verb
? questi auxiliary + subject + main
on verb
Here are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the
tenses:
base past past present
V1 simple V2 participle V3 participle -ing
sing sang sung singing
See charts and examples for Basic Tenses with Irregular Verbs →
Basic Tenses with be
The verb be is always different! The usual structure of basic
tenses with the irregular verb be is:
+ positi subject + auxiliary + main verb
ve be
- negati subject + auxiliary + not + main
ve verb be
? questi auxiliary + subject + main verb
on be
But for simple past and simple present tenses, the structures
are not the same. In fact, they are even easier. There
is no auxiliary verb. Here are the structures:
+ positi subject + main verb be
ve
- negati subject + main verb be
ve + not
? questi main verb be + subject
on
And here are the forms of the main verb be that we use to
construct the tenses:
ba past past present present
se simple participle participle -ing simple
be was, been being am, are, is
were
