English Verb Tenses: A Comprehensive Breakdown
Present Simple
Examples:
- I go / He goes
- Do not go / Doesn't go
- Do/Does she go?
Time Expressions:
- Always
- Usually
- Generally
- Regularly
- Often
- Frequently
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Seldom
- Never
- Once a month
- Every day
- In the evening
- At 11 o'clock
- At night
- On Saturdays
- How often?
Present Continuous
Examples:
- I am going
- You are not going
- Is he going?
- (Getting dressed, he is traveling)
Time Expressions:
- Now
- Right now
- At the moment
- This week, month, year
- At present
- Tonight
- Tomorrow
- Next week
- Sunday
Past Simple
Examples:
- I worked
- I did not work
- Did you work?
- (Over, met, traveled)
Time Expressions:
- Yesterday
- Last week
- Two days ago
- In 2004
- In the 1950s
- In the 19th century
- When, then (used to express several actions that occurred consecutively in the past)
Past Continuous
Examples:
- I was working / You were working
- Was/Were not working
- Was/Were I, you working?
Time Expressions:
- At eight o'clock last night
- Last month, last year
- When, while, as (long action when something happened in the process)
Simple Future
Examples:
- (They ride, I'll take)
- Will + infinitive / Won't + infinitive
Time Expressions:
- This evening
- Later
- Next week
- Soon
- Around midnight
- At 11 o'clock
- In the future
- In March
- Tomorrow
- In an hour
- In a few minutes
- One day
Be Going To
Examples:
- Be + going + to + infinitive (going to look, will close)
Time Expressions:
- This evening
- Later
- Next week
- Soon
- At 10 o'clock
- Tomorrow
- In an hour
- Tonight
Future Continuous
Examples:
- Will be + verb + -ing (used to say what will be happening at a particular moment in the future)
- (We will be flying)
Time Expressions:
- (At) this time tomorrow
- (At) this time next year
- On Thursday
Present Perfect Simple
Examples:
- Have/Has + past participle (past actions without saying exactly when, and to talk about actions that started in the past and continue today)
Time Expressions:
- Always
- So far
- Ever
- Never
- Just
- Yet
- Recently
- Lately
- Already
- In recent years
- For
- Since
- How long?
Past Perfect Simple
Examples:
- Had + past participle (used to indicate an action that occurred before another past action)
- (She was, had stopped)
Time Expressions:
- Until
- Before
- By the time
- After
- Already
- Never
- Just
Future Perfect Simple
Examples:
- Will have + past participle (used to say that an action will be over by a specific time in the future)
- (I will have finished)
Time Expressions:
- By this time next week
- By ten o'clock
- By then
- By August
- By the end of May
Present Perfect Continuous
Examples:
- Have + been + verb + -ing (used for actions that started in the past and continue in the present, and recently completed actions whose effects are seen in the present)
- (Has been making, we have been rehearsing)
Time Expressions:
- For
- Since
- All summer
Past Perfect Continuous
Examples:
- Had + been + verb + -ing (used for actions that had been happening in the past before another past action)
- (Had been writing it)
Time Expressions:
- All morning
- When
- For
- Since
- By the time
- Before
- After