Verb Tenses: A Complete Guide

Introduction to tenses in English

A verb in English has different forms. These forms are called tenses. There are three main tenses in English: present, past and future.

We will explain these verb tense in terms of the following aspects:

Simple tenses
Continuous tenses
Perfect tenses
Perfect continuous tenses

For more detailed explanations, check individual tenses under Grammar Explanations.

Simple Tenses

Present simple

It is used to talk about present habits, routine actions, general truths, actions that are true for a long time.

The base verb or base verb + s/es is used to express present simple actions.

I usually wake up early in the morning.
Birds fly.
She does not work for a big company.
Do you frequently go to the beach?

Past simple

It is used to talk about completed actions and routine actions in the past.

The past tense verb is used to express past actions.

They lived in Istanbul for a long time.
She took some notes during the lesson.
We did not buy anything online last week.
Did he attend yesterday’s class?

Future simple

It is used to talk about actions that will happen at a particular time in the future.

We express future actions using will + base verb and be + going + to + base verb.

I will visit them when I arrive there.
It will rain tomorrow
They are going to eat out tonight.
She will not attend my class today.
Will it snow tomorrow?

Here is a table that demonstrates simple tenses in both active and passive voices.

Forms	Active	Passive
Present Simple
Affirmative	I drink milk. We drink milk. You drink milk They drink milk. She drinks milk. He drinks milk. My cat drinks milk.	Milk is drunk by me. Milk is drunk by us. Milk is drunk by you. Milk is drunk by them. Milk is drunk by her. Milk is drunk by him. Milk is drunk by my cat.
Negative	I do not drink milk. We do not drink milk. You do not drink milk They do not drink milk. She does not drink milk. He does not drink milk. It does not drink milk.	Milk is not drunk by me. Milk is not drunk by us. Milk is not drunk by you. Milk is not drunk by them. Milk is not drunk by her. Milk is not drunk by him. Milk is not drunk by my cat.
Questions	Do I drink milk? Do we drink milk? Do you drink milk? Do they drink milk? Does she drink milk? Does she drink milk? Does my cat drink milk?	Is milk drunk by me? Is milk drunk by us? Is milk drunk by you? Is milk drunk by them? Is milk drunk by her? Is milk drunk by him? Is milk drunk by my cat?
Past Simple
Affirmative	I drank milk. We drank milk. You drank milk They drank milk. She drank milk. He drank milk. My cat drank milk.	Milk was drunk by me. Milk was drunk by us. Milk was drunk by you. Milk was drunk by them. Milk was drunk by her. Milk was drunk by him. Milk was drunk by my cat.
Negative	I did not drink milk. We did not drink milk. You did not drink milk They did not drink milk. She did not drink milk. He did not drink milk. It did not drink milk.	Milk was not drunk by me. Milk was not drunk by us. Milk was not drunk by you. Milk was not drunk by them. Milk was not drunk by her. Milk was not drunk by him. Milk was not drunk by my cat.
Questions	Did I drink milk? Did we drink milk? Did you drink milk? Did they drink milk? Did she drink milk? Did he drink milk? Did my cat drink milk?	Was milk drunk by me? Was milk drunk by us? Was milk drunk by you? Was milk drunk by them? Was milk drunk by her? Was milk drunk by him? Was milk drunk by my cat?
Future Simple
Affirmative	I will drink milk. We will drink milk. You will drink milk They will drink milk. She will drink milk. He will drink milk. My cat will drink milk.	Milk will be drunk by me. Milk will be drunk by us. Milk will be drunk by you. Milk will be drunk by them. Milk will be drunk by her. Milk will be drunk by him. Milk will be drunk by my cat.
Negative	I will not drink milk. We will not drink milk. You will not drink milk They will not drink milk. She will not drink milk. He will not drink milk. My cat will not drink milk.	Milk will not be drunk by me. Milk will not be drunk by us. Milk will not be drunk by you. Milk will not be drunk by them. Milk will not be drunk by her. Milk will not be drunk by him. Milk will not be drunk by my cat.
Questions	Will I drink milk? Will we drink milk? Will you drink milk? Will they drink milk? Will she drink milk? Will he drink milk? Will my cat drink milk?	Will milk be drunk by me? Will milk be drunk by us? Will milk be drunk by you? Will milk be drunk by them? Will milk be drunk by her? Will milk be drunk by him? Will milk be drunk by my cat?

Continuous Tenses

(Also called progressive)

Present continuous

It is used to talk about actions happening right now or at a time around now. It is also used to talk about planned future actions.

The verb form is verb be (am, is, are) + base verb + ing.

I am eating right now.
They are watching TV at the moment.
She is not sleeping.
Are they leaving tomorrow?

Past continuous

It is used to talk about actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.

The verb used is past of verb be (was, were) + base verb + ing.

I was checking my email when you called.
They were eating at the restaurant at 5 pm.
She was not sleeping when they arrived.
Was she sleeping when they arrived?

Future continuous

It is used to talk about actions that will be in progress at a particular time in the future.

The verb form used is will + be + base verb + ing.

I will be packing the bags at 9 pm.
They will not be exercising at 7 o’clock in the morning.
Will she be sleeping when we arrive tomorrow?

Here is a table that demonstrates continuous tenses in both active and passive voices.

Perfect tenses

Present perfect

It is used to talk about actions that started (and maybe completed) in the past but still has effect on the present.

The verb form used is have/has + past participle verb.

I have lived in this city for 10 years.
We have submitted the project.
She has not eaten yet.
Have they booked a flight?

Past perfect

It is used to talk about actions that happened before a particular time in the past.

The verb form used is had + past participle verb.

They had already eaten when we arrived.
He had taken a shower before the alarm clock went off.
I had not completed reading the book when I lost it.
Had you heard the news before you met them?

Future perfect

It is used to talk about an action that will be completed before a particular time in the future.

The verb form used is will + have + past participle verb.

I will have read the whole chapter before the discussion starts.
She will not have cooked when the guests arrive.
Will you have completed the report by next Sunday?

Here is a table that demonstrates perfect tenses in both active and passive voices.

Perfect Continuous Tenses

Present perfect continuous

It is used to talk about an action that was in progress before another action or a particular time in the past. The focus is the duration of the first action.

The verb form used is have/has + been + base verb + ing.

I have been working for two hours.
He has been talking with her since 6 o’clock.
They have not been sleeping.
Has she been studying all this time?

Past perfect continuous

It is used to emphasize the duration of an action that was in progress before another action or a particular time in the past. The focus is the duration of the first action.

The verb form used is had + been + base verb + ing.

They had been working for a long time when the manager arrived.
She had been studying for four hours when she fell asleep.
I had not been eating for a long time when I saw a hair in the .
How long had he been playing when he broke his leg?

Future perfect continuous

It is used to emphasize the duration of an action that will be in progress before another action or a particular time in the future. The focus is the duration of the first action.

The verb form used is will + have + been + base verb + ing.

I will have been working for 5 hours when they get home.
The baby will have been sleeping for 2 hours when the babysitter leaves.
How long will the students have been reading before the library closes?

Here is a table that demonstrates perfect continuous tenses in both active and passive voices.