English Verb Tenses: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples
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Past Simple
Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative |
I studied | Did I study? | I didn’t study |
You studied | Did you study? | You didn’t study |
He/she/it studied | Did he/she/it study? | He/she/it didn’t study |
We studied | Did we study? | We didn’t study |
You studied | Did you study? | You didn’t study |
They studied | Did they study? | They didn’t study |
Use: For a past finished action.
Past Continuous
Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative |
I was studying | Was I studying? | I wasn’t studying |
You were studying | Were you studying? | You weren’t studying |
He/she/it was studying | Was he/she/it studying? | He/she/it wasn’t studying |
We were studying | Were we studying? | We weren’t studying |
You were studying | Were you studying? | You weren’t studying |
They were studying | Were they studying? | They weren’t studying |
Use: For an incomplete action in progress.
Past Perfect
Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative |
I had spoken | Had I spoken? | I hadn’t spoken |
You had spoken | Had you spoken? | You hadn’t spoken |
He/she/it had spoken | Had he/she/it spoken? | He/she/it hadn’t spoken |
We had spoken | Had we spoken? | We hadn’t spoken |
You had spoken | Had you spoken? | You hadn’t spoken |
They had spoken | Had they spoken? | They hadn’t spoken |
Use: For a past action that happened before another past action.
Present Perfect Simple
Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative |
I have spoken | Have I spoken? | I haven’t spoken |
You have spoken | Have you spoken? | You haven’t spoken |
He/she/it has spoken | Has he/she/it spoken? | He/she/it hasn’t spoken |
We have spoken | Have we spoken? | We haven’t spoken |
You have spoken | Have you spoken? | You haven’t spoken |
They have spoken | Have they spoken? | They haven’t spoken |
Use: For an action that happened in the past but is connected to the present.
Adverbs: For, since, already, yet.