English Tenses Overview

Study Notes

English Tenses

In the English language, verb tense is used to describe when actions occur relative to others. It can show whether an action has happened before, after, currently happening, will happen, or never happened. There are several types of tenses in English, each with its own specific purpose and usage. These include:

Present Simple
Past Simple
Future Simple
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
Future Continuous
Present Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous

Present Simple

The present simple tense is used to describe habits or routines that happen regularly, actions that are true right now, actions that will happen again in the future, and facts that are always true. For example:

"I eat breakfast every day."
"The sun rises in the east."
"Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."

Past Simple

The past simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past or ongoing situations that started in the past and continued until now. For example:

"Yesterday, I walked to the store."
"In ancient times, people believed the Earth was flat."

Future Simple

The future simple tense is used to talk about what will happen in the future, usually as part of a plan or prediction. For example:

"Tomorrow, we are going to the park."
"When the traffic light turns green, I will drive through it."

Present Continuous

The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening at the moment of speaking, and that might continue into the foreseeable future. For example:

"Right now, I am studying for an exam."
"My friend is playing tennis in the park."

Past Continuous

The past continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action at a specific point in the past. For example:

"At 10 o'clock, I was playing basketball."
"At 3 pm, the children were playing in the park."

Future Continuous

The future continuous tense is used to describe an action that will be happening at a specific point in the future. For example:

"At 7 am, I will be finishing my breakfast."
"At 12 pm, the workers will be having their lunch break."

Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is used to talk about actions that have happened at an unspecified time before now. For example:

"I have lived in this house for ten years."
"She has finished her homework."

Present Perfect Continuous

The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that started in the past and have continued up until the present moment. For example:

"I have been studying for hours."
"They have been playing basketball for an hour."

Description

Explore the different types of verb tenses in English, including Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple, Present Continuous, Past Continuous, Future Continuous, Present Perfect, and Present Perfect Continuous. Learn how each tense is used to describe actions happening at different points in time.