Mastering English verb tenses is crucial for clear communication. Tenses help you express when an action occurs—whether it’s in the past, present, or future. Check out our tenses chart with examples to boost your English right now!
Tenses Chart with Examples
This article provides a comprehensive tenses chart with examples to help you understand and use each tense correctly. There are 12 verb tenses in English. Their names are past simple, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, present simple, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, future simple, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.
1. Present Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Subject + base verb (s/es) | I walk to school every day. She doesn’t love chocolate. Do they playsoccer on weekends? |
| Present Continuous | Subject + am/is/are + verb (-ing) | I am studying now. She isn’t reading a book. Are they playing in the park? |
| Present Perfect | Subject + have/has + past participle | I have visited Paris. She hasn’t finished her work. Have they lived here long? |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Subject + have/has + been + verb (-ing) | I have been studying for three hours. She hasn’t been working here long. Have they been playing soccer? |
2. Past Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | Subject + past verb form | I visited Paris last year. She didn’t finish her work. Did they play soccer? |
| Past Continuous | Subject + was/were + verb (-ing) | I was studying at 8 PM. She wasn’t reading last night. Were they playingsoccer? |
| Past Perfect | Subject + had + past participle | I had visited Paris before. She hadn’t finished her homework. Had they played soccer before it rained? |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Subject + had been + verb (-ing) | I had been studying for hours. She hadn’t been working long. Had they been playing soccer? |
3. Future Tenses
| Tense | Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Future Simple | Subject + will + base verb | I will visit Paris next year. She won’t finish today. Will they play soccer tomorrow? |
| Future Continuous | Subject + will be + verb (-ing) | I will be studying at 8 PM. She won’t be reading then. Will they be playing soccer? |
| Future Perfect | Subject + will have + past participle | I will have visited Paris by then. She won’t have finished in time. Will they have played soccer by then? |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Subject + will have been + verb (-ing) | I will have been studying for hours. She won’t have been working long. Will they have been playing soccer? |
Summary
This tenses chart provides a clear overview of the different verb tenses in English, along with examples to illustrate their use. By familiarizing yourself with these structures, you’ll be able to express yourself more accurately and fluently in English.
