12 Tenses in English Grammar (Examples & Formula)

English tenses can be helpful in learning the English language from scratch.

There are three main types of tenses which give an idea of the time when the incident mentioned in a statement takes place.

With good knowledge of 12 English tenses, fluent English and flawless grammar is not too far away.

The types of tenses are explained with examples and basic structure.

This would provide a clear idea to understand the knowledge of English grammar and will be helpful in framing better sentences.

Read also: Tenses Chart/Table, 58 Examples, Worksheet

Tenses chart
Tenses chart

PRESENT TENSE

Simple Present Tense

Structure: Base verb (+ es/es for third person):

Example: 1) I play a game every day. 2) He studies in school.

View: Simple Present Tense Examples, Exercise and Worksheet

Present Continuous Tense

Structure: is/am/are + present participle:

Example: 1) I am playing the game. 2) He is studying in college.

View: Present Continuous Tense Exercise, Formula and Usage

Present Perfect Tense

Structure: Has/have + past participle:

Example: I have finished my homework.

View: Present Perfect Tense Exercise, Formula and Usage

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Has/have + been + present participle:

Example: 1) I have been finishing my homework for the last two hours.

2) He has been studying in the school since his childhood.

PAST TENSE

View: Present Perfect Continuous Tense (Formula, Usage & Exercise)

Simple Past Tense

Structure: Verb+ed or irregular verb:

Example: 1) You played the game. 2) He read the newspaper.

View: Simple Past Tense (Formula, Usage & Examples)

Past Continuous Tense

Structure: Was/were + present participle:

Example: 1) I was reading a newspaper. 2) He was going to Karachi.

View: Past Continuous Tense (Formula, Usage & Examples)

Past Perfect Tense

Structure: Had + past participle:

Example: 1) I had finished my homework. 2) He had completed his task.

View: Past Perfect Tense (Formula, Usage & Exercise)

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Had + been + past participle:

Example: 1) I had been finishing my homework for 50 minutes.

2) He had been playing the game since morning.

FUTURE TENSE

View: Past Perfect Continuous Tense (Formula, Examples, Exercise)

Simple Future Tense

Structure: Will/shall+verb

Example: 1) I shall go to my home town. 2) He will complete his task.

View: Simple Future Tense Formula, Usage & Examples

Future Continuous Tense

Structure: Will be + present participle

Am/is/are + going to be + present participle:

Example: I will be watching the news at 9 pm. / I am going to be watching the news at 9 pm.

View: Future Continuous Tense Formula, Usage & Examples

Future Perfect Tense

Structure: Will have + past participle

Am/is/are + going to have + past participle

Example: I will have played the game. / I am going to have played the game.

View: Future Perfect Tense Formula, Usage & Examples

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Will have been + present participle

Am/is/are + going to have been + present participle:

Example: I will have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join me. / I am going to have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join me.

View: Future Perfect Continuous Tense Usage, Formula & Examples

ENGLISH GRAMMAR TENSES TABLE

SIMPLE FORMS

The action that takes place once, never or several times

TENSES EXAMPLES
Present Simple He plays a game every Sunday.
Past Simple He played a game every Sunday.
Future Simple He will / is going to play the game every Sunday.

Actions that happen one after another

Present Simple He plays football and then he takes bath.
Past Simple He played a game and then he took bath.
Future Simple He will play football and then he will take bath.

State

Present Simple He loved yoga.
Past Simple He loves yoga.
Future Simple He will love yoga.

PROGRESSIVE FORMS

Action going on at that moment

Present Continuous/ Present Progressive He is playing a game.
Past Continuous/ Past Progressive He was playing the game.
Future Continuous/ Future Progressive He will be playing a game.

Actions that are taking place at the same time

Present Continuous/ Present Progressive He is playing a game and she is watching.
Past Continuous/ Past Progressive He was playing a game and she was watching TV.
Future Continuous/ Future Progressive He will be playing a game and she will be watching TV.

PERFECT FORMS

Action taking place before a certain moment in time; shows completion/result

Present Perfect He has won two matches so far.
Past Perfect He had won two matches until that day.
Future Perfect He will have won two matches by then.

PERFECT PROGRESSIVE FORMS

Action taking place before a certain moment in time and beyond that time, emphasizes the duration

Present Perfect Continuous/ Present Perfect Progressive He has been playing a game for ten years.
Past Perfect Continuous/ Past Perfect Progressive He had been playing a game for ten years.
Future Perfect Continuous/ Future Perfect Progressive He will have been playing a game for ten years.

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