English Verb Tenses with Examples

I. Present Tense

In the Present Tense, we talk about things that are happening now or things that happen regularly.

There are three main types of Present Tense that we’ll learn about: Simple Present, Present Continuous (Progressive), and Present Perfect.

A. Simple Present

Form: The Simple Present is made using the base form of the verb.

Example: “I eat.”

Here, “eat” is the base form of the verb without any changes.

Use: We use Simple Present for general truths, habits, and routines.

Examples:

“The sun rises in the east.” (General truth)

“She reads a book every night before bed.” (Habit)

“They play soccer every Saturday.” (Routine)

B. Present Continuous (Progressive)

Form: The Present Continuous is formed with “am/is/are” + base verb + -ing.

Example: “I am eating.”

Here, “am” is used with “eating,” which is the -ing form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Present Continuous for actions happening right now or temporary actions.

Examples:

“She is reading a book.” (Action happening now)

“They are playing soccer in the park.” (Action happening now)

“I am learning to swim.” (Temporary action)

C. Present Perfect

Form: The Present Perfect is formed with “have/has” + past participle of the verb.

Example: “I have eaten.”

Here, “have” is used with “eaten,” which is the past participle form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Present Perfect for actions that started in the past and continue into the present or for past actions with relevance to the present.

Examples:

“She has lived in this city for ten years.” (Action started in the past and continues)

“I have finished my homework.” (Past action with relevance to the present)

“He has visited France twice.” (Past action with relevance to the present)

Putting It All Together

Now that we’ve learned about Simple Present, Present Continuous, and Present Perfect, let’s see how they can be used in sentences together:

Simple Present: “She reads a book every night.”

Present Continuous: “She is reading a book right now.”

Present Perfect: “She has read five books this month.”

In these sentences, we see how each type of Present Tense helps us talk about different aspects of time and actions.

Practice Time! -1

Now, let’s practice using the Present Tense with some fun exercises:

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:

(a) I ___ (play) basketball every Sunday.

(b) They ___ (watch) a movie right now.

(c) She ___ (finish) her homework already.

Now, let’s explore Past Tense in English.

Understanding how to talk about things that happened in the past is an exciting part of learning English.

Let’s dive in and discover the Simple Past, Past Continuous, and Past Perfect tenses together!

II. Past Tense

In the Past Tense, we talk about actions or events that happened before now.

There are three main types of Past Tense that we’ll learn about: Simple Past, Past Continuous (Progressive), and Past Perfect.

A. Simple Past

Form: The Simple Past is formed by adding -ed to regular verbs or using the past tense form of irregular verbs.

Example: “I played.”

Here, “played” is the past tense form of the verb “play.”

Use: We use Simple Past for completed actions in the past.

Examples:

“She danced at the party.” (Completed action)

“He finished his homework yesterday.” (Completed action)

“We visited the museum last week.” (Completed action)

B. Past Continuous (Progressive)

Form: The Past Continuous is formed with “was/were” + base verb + -ing.

Example: “I was eating.”

Here, “was” is used with “eating,” which is the -ing form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Past Continuous for actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.

Examples:

“She was reading a book when the phone rang.” (Action in progress interrupted by another action)

“They were playing soccer when it started raining.” (Action in progress at a specific time)

C. Past Perfect

Form: The Past Perfect is formed with “had” + past participle of the verb.

Example: “I had eaten.”

Here, “had” is used with “eaten,” which is the past participle form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Past Perfect for actions completed before another past action.

Examples:

“She had already finished her homework when her friends arrived.” (Action completed before another past action)

“He had seen that movie before it came out on DVD.” (Action completed before another past action)

Putting It All Together

Now that we’ve learned about Simple Past, Past Continuous, and Past Perfect, let’s see how they can be used in sentences together:

Simple Past: “She danced at the party.”

Past Continuous: “She was dancing when her favorite song came on.”

Past Perfect: “She had already finished her dinner before the guests arrived.”

In these sentences, we see how each type of Past Tense helps us talk about different aspects of past actions and events.

Practice Time! -2

Let’s practice using the Past Tense with some fun exercises:

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:

(a) I ___ (play) soccer yesterday.

(b) They ___ (watch) a movie when the lights went out.

(c) She ___ (finish) her project before the deadline.

It’s time for us to go into the Future.

The Future Tense helps us talk about things that will happen later, making predictions, promises, and decisions about the future.

Let’s dive into the Simple Future, Future Continuous, and Future Perfect tenses together!

III. Future Tense

In the Future Tense, we talk about actions or events that will happen later, after now.

There are three main types of Future Tense that we’ll learn about: Simple Future, Future Continuous (Progressive), and Future Perfect.

A. Simple Future

Form: The Simple Future is formed using “will” + base verb.

Example: “I will eat.”

Here, “will” is used with the base form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Simple Future for making predictions, promises, and spontaneous decisions about the future.

Examples:

“It will rain tomorrow.” (Prediction)

“I will help you with your homework.” (Promise)

“I will call you later.” (Spontaneous decision)

B. Future Continuous (Progressive)

Form: The Future Continuous is formed with “will be” + base verb + -ing.

Example: “I will be eating.”

Here, “will be” is used with “eating,” which is the -ing form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Future Continuous for actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

Examples:

“She will be studying at 8 PM tomorrow.” (Action in progress at a specific future time)

“They will be playing soccer when you arrive.” (Action in progress when another action happens)

C. Future Perfect

Form: The Future Perfect is formed with “will have” + past participle of the verb.

Example: “I will have eaten.”

Here, “will have” is used with “eaten,” which is the past participle form of the verb “eat.”

Use: We use Future Perfect for actions completed before a specific future time or event.

Examples:

“She will have finished her project by Friday.” (Action completed before a specific future time)

“I will have read the book before the movie comes out.” (Action completed before a specific future event)

Putting It All Together

Now that we’ve learned about Simple Future, Future Continuous, and Future Perfect, let’s see how they can be used in sentences together:

Simple Future: “I will eat lunch at noon.”

Future Continuous: “I will be eating when you arrive.”

Future Perfect: “I will have finished my homework by the time you come over.”

In these sentences, we see how each type of Future Tense helps us talk about different aspects of future actions and events.

Practice Time! -3

Let’s practice using the Future Tense with some fun exercises:

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:

(a) Tomorrow, I ___ (play) soccer with my friends.

(b) She ___ (read) a book when the bell rings.

(c) I ___ (finish) my project by next week.