verb tenses charts

Present simple tense

past future

Present simple

A verb in simple action. Describes the action in a general sense. Something you do every day.

Present simpleI cook my breakfast every

morning.I swim at the swimming pool.I read books at the library.I walk through the park on my

way to school.I wash my face with water and

soap.

Past simple tense

past future

Present

Past simple tense

An action that is in the past and is complete. A simple general action. The verb is in the past tense.

I cooked my breakfast every morning.

I swam at the swimming pool.I read books at the library.I walked through the park on

my way to school.I washed my face with water

and soap.

Past simple

Future simple tense

Past future

present

Future Simple

An action that is going to happen in the future. Uses the verb “will” or “ is going” forms.

Future simpleI will cook my breakfast every

morning.I am going to read books at the

library.I will walk through the park on

my way to school.I will wash my face with water

and soap.

Present Continuous tense

past future

past

Present Continuous tense

Action is in progress and the verb has an ‘ing” form.

Present Continuous tenseI am cooking my breakfast.I am swimming at the swimming

pool.I am reading books at the library.I am walking through the park on

my way to school.I am washing my face with water

and soap.

Past continuous tense

past future

past

present

Past continuous tense

The action is completed but we are describing the process of the completed action. This form uses the past tense of am “ was” or “were’ and “ ing” form of verb.

Past Continuous TenseI was cooking my breakfast.I was swimming at the

swimming pool.I was reading books at the

library.I was walking through the park

on my way to school.

Future Continuous Tense

past future

past

present

Future Continuous tenseAn action that is in the future and I am describing the process of it… so the action covers a period of time not just one point in time. This tense uses “ will be” or “ ing” form of verb.

Future continuous tenseI will be cooking my breakfast

tomorrow.I will be swimming at the

swimming pool next week.I will be reading books at the

library.

Present perfect

past future

past

present

Present perfect

An action on going as I speak, partly completed in the past and don’t know if it will continue into the future. This tense uses “have “ plus the past tense of the verb.

Present PerfectI have cooked my breakfast

every day this week.I have swam at the swimming

pool three times this week.I have read books at the library

five times this month.

Past perfect

past future

past

present

Past Perfect Tense

The action Is completed in the past and is described from a past point of view. It is the past of the past. This verb tense uses “had” plus the past tense of the verb. This verb tense is not used for all actions.

Past Perfect Tense

Before they closed the pool, I had swam at the pool many times.

I had washed my face with water and soap every day until I learned that soap dried my skin.

Future perfect tense

past future

past

present

Future Perfect Tense

: The action is in the future but I am describing the action as " the past of the future" So I am talking about two periods in the future and referring to one period as complete compared to the other period, even though both periods are in the future. This verb tense uses “ will have” plus the past tense of the verb.

Future Perfect TenseBy the time I am thirty I will have cooked my

breakfast at least thirty thousand times.By the end of next year, I will have swam in

the pool one hundred times if I continue to go every week.

I will have read every book in that library if by the end of this month.

I will have washed my face with soap and water for thirty days at the end of this month.

Present perfect Continuous

past future

past

present

Present perfect continuousPresent perfect continuous speaks of an action that is still on going and it has been happening for some time in the past and seems it will continue in to the future, though we don’t know for sure. The verbs “have been” plus “ing” of the verb is used.

Present perfect continuousI have been cooking my own breakfast for at

least thirty years.I have been swimming in that pool for ten

years and never had a problem with chlorine.

I have been reading books in that library for weeks and yet I haven’t found a real interesting one.

I will have been washing my face with soap and water and still my face feels oily.

past

Past Perfect continuous

past future

present

Past Perfect continuous

This talks of two past dates and of a continuous action that was performed until the past date was arrived at. It is the past of the past. This tense uses “had been” plus the “ing” form of the verb.

Past Perfect ContinuousAt the end of last year, I had been swimming

in that pool for a decade.I had been reading books in that library for

twenty years at the end of last month.I had been washing my face with soap and

water until I was thirteen, then I learned that soap was drying my skin.

past

Future Perfect continuous

past future

present

Future Perfect Continuous

This talks of a time in the future and an action having happened up to that point. The action is a continual action that may have been in the past, may be in the future, but will happen for a period in the future up to the future point specified. So we are talking about two periods in the future. One is a point in the future, the other is the action up to that point in the future. The verb tense uses “ will have been” plus the “ing” form of the verb.

Future Perfect ContinuousAt the end of next year, I had been

swimming in that pool for a decade.I had been reading books in that library for

twenty years at the end of last month.I had been washing my face with soap and

water until I was thirteen, then I learned that soap was drying my skin.

By the time I am thirty I will have been cooking my breakfast at least thirty thousand times.

By the end of next year, I will have been swimming in the pool one hundred times.

I will have been reading books in that library for twenty years by the end of next month.