12 TENSES

Tenses are forms of verbs that tell us when an action happens—in the past, present, or future. They help us understand the time and sometimes the duration or order of events in a sentence.

  • Why Do We Use Tenses?

    We use tenses to make our sentences clear. Tenses help us show when something happens—whether in the past, present, or future. They also tell us if an action is finished, ongoing, or repeated, and help us understand how actions relate to each other over time.

  • When Do We Use Each Tense?

    Present Tenses are used for actions happening now, regular habits, or general facts. Past Tenses are used for actions that already happened. Future Tenses are used for actions that will happen later.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

 Present Tenses

Present Simple

  • I walk to school every day.

  • She plays the piano beautifully.

  • They work at a bank.

Present Continuous

  • I am reading a book right now.

  • She is studying for her exams this week.

  • They are building a new house.

Present Perfect

  • I have visited France twice.

  • She has finished her homework.

  • They have lived here for five years.

Present Perfect Continuous

  • I have been learning Spanish for a year.

  • She has been cooking since morning.

  • They have been working on this project for months.

Past Tenses

Past Simple

  • I walked to school yesterday.

  • She called me last night.

  • They moved to a new city in 2020.

Past Continuous

  • I was reading a book when you called.

  • She was working late last night.

  • They were playing soccer in the park.

Past Perfect

  • I had finished my dinner before they arrived.

  • She had already left when he called.

  • They had completed the project by the deadline.

Past Perfect Continuous

  • I had been waiting for an hour before the bus arrived.

  • She had been studying all night for the test.

  • They had been living in that city for years before moving.

Future Tenses

Future Simple

  • I will call you later.

  • She will visit her grandparents tomorrow.

  • They will travel to Italy next summer.

Future Continuous

  • I will be working all day tomorrow.

  • She will be studying at 8 p.m. tonight.

  • They will be driving to the countryside this weekend.

Future Perfect

  • I will have finished the report by tomorrow.

  • She will have left by the time you arrive.

  • They will have completed the course by next month.

Future Perfect Continuous

  • I will have been working here for five years by next June.

  • She will have been studying for six hours by tonight.

  • They will have been traveling for a month by the time they return.

PRESENT TENSE KEYWORDS

Present Tenses

  1. Present Simple

    • Structure: Subject + base verb (e.g., I walk)

    • Key Words: always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day

  2. Present Continuous

    • Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing (e.g., I am walking)

    • Key Words: now, currently, at the moment, right now

  3. Present Perfect

    • Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle (e.g., I have walked)

    • Key Words: just, already, yet, ever, never, so far, recently

  4. Present Perfect Continuous

    • Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb-ing (e.g., I have been walking)

    • Key Words: for, since, all day, how long

PAST TENSE KEYWORDS

Past Tenses

  1. Past Simple

    • Structure: Subject + past verb (e.g., I walked)

    • Key Words: yesterday, last week, in 2000, ago, when

  2. Past Continuous

    • Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing (e.g., I was walking)

    • Key Words: while, when, at that time, in those days

  3. Past Perfect

    • Structure: Subject + had + past participle (e.g., I had walked)

    • Key Words: before, after, already, just

  4. Past Perfect Continuous

    • Structure: Subject + had been + verb-ing (e.g., I had been walking)

    • Key Words: for, since, before, until

FUTURE TENSE KEYWORDS

Future Tenses

  1. Future Simple

    • Structure: Subject + will + base verb (e.g., I will walk)

    • Key Words: tomorrow, next week, soon, in the future, later

  2. Future Continuous

    • Structure: Subject + will be + verb-ing (e.g., I will be walking)

    • Key Words: this time tomorrow, at that time, in the near future

  3. Future Perfect

    • Structure: Subject + will have + past participle (e.g., I will have walked)

    • Key Words: by, by then, by tomorrow, before

  4. Future Perfect Continuous

    • Structure: Subject + will have been + verb-ing (e.g., I will have been walking)

    • Key Words: for, since, by the time

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