Verb Tenses are different forms of verbs describing something happened in the past, happening at present or will happen in the future. By expanding these three forms, you will learn 16 tenses in all.
There are three main types of verb tenses past, present and future.
See also: 58 Tenses Exampes, Tenses Exercises, Tenses Worksheet
PRESENT TENSE
Present tense shows the current action that is going to be performed. It has four types which are briefly described here.
1. Simple Present Tense
Structure:
Subject + Verb (vI) + es/es
Examples:
- I take exercise daily.
- She reads a book in the library.
Simple Present Tense Examples & Exercise
2. Present Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + is/am/are + Verb(+ing)
Example:
- He is playing football.
- I am studying in a high school.
Present Continuous Tense Exercise, Formula and Usage
3. Present Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + Has/have + Verb (v3)
Example:
- He has made this colorful chart.
- I have completed my assignment.
View: Present Perfect Tense Exercise, Formula and Usage
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + Has/have + been + Verb(+ing)
Example:
- I have been completing my assignment for the last three days.
- She has been working in this department since 2017.
View: Present Perfect Continuous Tense Formula and Usage
PAST TENSE
Past tense expresses the actions that happened in the past. It has also four types.
5. Simple Past Tense
Structure:
Subject + Verb (v2) or irregular verb:
Example:
- He completed the assignment.
- I read the newspaper.
View: Simple Past Tense Formula, Usage & Examples
6. Past Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + was/were + Verb(+ing)
Example:
- He was reading the book.
- I was going to the park for a morning walk.
View: Past Continuous Tense Formula, Usage & Examples
7. Past Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + had + Verb (v3)
Example:
- I had finished my homework.
- He had completed his task.
View: Past Perfect Tense Formula, Exercise & Examples
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + had + been + Verb(+ing)
Example:
- He had been completing his assignment for the last two hours.
- I had been playing football since morning.
View: Past Perfect Continuous Tense Formula, Exercise & Examples
FUTURE TENSE
Future tense expresses the actions that have not happened yet OR “the actions that will likely to happen in future”. Its four types are described here.
9. Simple Future Tense
Structure:
Subject+ will/shall+ verb(v1)
Example:
- I shall go to the park for a walk.
- She will perform his duty.
View: Simple Future Tense Formula, Usage & Examples
10. Future Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + will be/shall be + verb(+ing)
Example:
- He will be playing football.
- We shall be eating the meal.
View: Future Continuous Tense Formula, Usage & Examples
11. Future Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + will have + verb(v3)
Example:
- He will have played football.
- I will have completed my assignment.
View: Future Perfect Tense Formula, Usage & Examples
12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + will have been + verb(+ing)
Example:
He will have been watching the football match for over fifty minutes.
View: Future Perfect Continuous Tense Usage, Formula & Examples
PAST FUTURE TENSE
13. Past Future Tense
Structure:
Subject + would + verb (v1)
Example:
I told that I would leave in one hour.
14. Past Future Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + should be/would be + Verb(+ing)
Example:
I told that I would be doing my homework all day long.
15. Past Future Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + should have/ would have + Verb(v3)
Example:
She said that she would have completed her assignment.
16. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + would have been + Verb(+ing)
Example:
He said that I should have been working here for two hours by that time.
Read also: 12 Tenses Chart with examples
Download 16 Tenses in pdf