What are Verb Tenses?

Apr 18

Verb tenses are how we show time in English. They tell us when an action happens: in the past, present, or future. Understanding tenses is key to communicating clearly in English!

Let’s take a simple verb—“to eat”—and look at how it changes in different tenses.

🟩 Present Tenses

1. Simple Present – for habits, routines, general truths

I eat breakfast at 7 a.m.
She eats salad every day.

📌 Tip: Add -s for he/she/it.

2. Present Continuous – for actions happening now

I am eating lunch.
They are studying English.

🧠 Structure: am/is/are + verb-ing

3. Present Perfect – for past actions that affect the present

I have eaten already.
She has visited Brazil twice.

🧠 Structure: have/has + past participle

4. Present Perfect Continuous – for actions that started in the past and continue now

I have been eating healthier this month.
They have been working all day.

🧠 Structure: have/has been + verb-ing

🟨 Past Tenses

5. Simple Past – for completed actions in the past

I ate pizza yesterday.
He watched a movie.

6. Past Continuous – for actions in progress in the past

I was eating when you called.
They were studying at 9 p.m.

🧠 Structure: was/were + verb-ing

7. Past Perfect – for the “past of the past”

I had eaten before she arrived.
He had already left.

🧠 Structure: had + past participle

8. Past Perfect Continuous – for ongoing actions before another point in the past

I had been eating for 20 minutes when the phone rang.
She had been studying all morning.

🟦 Future Tenses

9. Simple Future – for future plans or predictions

I will eat later.
She will call you.

🧠 Structure: will + base verb

10. Future with “going to” – for plans or intentions

I am going to eat after class.
They are going to travel next month.

11. Future Continuous – for actions in progress in the future

I will be eating at 7 p.m.
She will be working all day tomorrow.

12. Future Perfect – for actions completed before a future point

I will have eaten by 8.
They will have finished the project.

🧠 Structure: will have + past participle

13. Future Perfect Continuous – for ongoing actions leading up to a point in the future

I will have been studying for 3 hours by 9 p.m.
She will have been working there for 10 years.

🧠 Final Tips:

Start with simple tenses: Present Simple, Past Simple, and Future (will).
Practice verb charts with regular and irregular verbs.
Use daily examples from your life: What you do, what you did, what you will do.