12 Tenses in English Explained

Tenses in English indicate the time of an action. They are broadly categorized into three:

1. Present Tense – Actions happening now or regularly.  

2. Past Tense – Actions that happened before now.  

3. Future Tense – Actions that will happen later.  

Each of these has four forms: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. 

1. Present Tense

a) Simple Present – For habitual actions, general truths, or scheduled events.  

Structure: Subject + base verb (+s/es for he/she/it)  

– She writes articles.  

– The sun rises in the east.  

b) Present Continuous – For ongoing actions happening right now.  

Structure: Subject + is/am/are + verb+ing  

– She is writing an article.  

– I am reading a book.  

c) Present Perfect – For actions completed at an unspecified time before now or that have relevance to the present.  

Structure: Subject + has/have + past participle  

– She has written many articles.  

– I have finished my work.  

d) Present Perfect Continuous – For actions that started in the past and are still continuing.  

Structure: Subject + has/have been + verb+ing  

– She has been writing for two hours.  

– I have been reading this book since morning.  

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2. Past Tense

a) Simple Past – For completed actions in the past.  

Structure: Subject + past form of verb  

– She wrote an article yesterday.  

– I watched a movie last night.  

b) Past Continuous – For actions that were happening at a specific time in the past.  

Structure: Subject + was/were + verb+ing  

– She was writing an article when I called.  

– They were playing football at 5 PM.  

c) Past Perfect – For an action completed before another past action.  

Structure: Subject + had + past participle  

– She had written the article before the deadline.  

– I had finished my work before he arrived.  

d) Past Perfect Continuous – For actions that were ongoing in the past before another past action.  

Structure: Subject + had been + verb+ing  

– She had been writing for two hours before taking a break.  

– They had been working all day when the power went out.  

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3. Future Tense

a) Simple Future – For actions that will happen in the future.  

Structure: Subject + will + base verb  

– She will write an article tomorrow.  

– I will watch a movie tonight.  

b) Future Continuous – For actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future.  

Structure: Subject + will be + verb+ing  

– She will be writing an article at 5 PM.  

– They will be playing football in the evening.  

c) Future Perfect – For actions that will be completed before a certain point in the future.  

Structure: Subject + will have + past participle  

– She will have written the article by tomorrow.  

– I will have finished my work before 8 PM.  

d) Future Perfect Continuous – For actions that will be ongoing for a period in the future.  

Structure: Subject + will have been + verb+ing  

– She will have been writing for two hours by 6 PM.  

– They will have been studying for months before the exam.  

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