Learning and understanding verb tenses are useful for every student. It helps to improve our sentence formation skills and also enables them to communicate clearly and effectively.
Here you will find a full list of all twelve types of tenses with formula structures and examples.
Tenses
There are twelve types of tenses in English grammar
- Simple Present Tense
- Present Continuous Tense
- Present Perfect Tense
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- Simple Past Tense
- Past Continuous Tense
- Past Perfect Tense
- Past Perfect Continuous Tense
- Simple Future Tense
- Future Continuous Tense
- Future Perfect Tense
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Tense Table with Formula and Examples
| Tenses | Formula | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present tense | S+V1+Obj | I eat breakfast every day. |
| Simple past tense | S+V2+Obj | I ate breakfast this morning |
| Simple future tense | S+shall/will+V1+Obj | I will eat breakfast at 8.00 am tomorrow. |
| Present continuous | S+am/is/are+Ving+Obj | I am eating breakfast right now. |
| Past continuous | S+was/were+Ving+Obj | I was eating breakfast when my friends called. |
| Future continuous | S+will be+Ving+Obj | I will be eating breakfast at 8.00 am tomorrow. |
| Present perfect | S+have/has+V3+Obj | I have eaten breakfast already. |
| Past perfect | S+had+V3+Obj | I had eaten breakfast when my friends called. |
| Future perfect | S+will have+V3+Obj | I will have eaten breakfast at 8.00 am tomorrow. |
| Present perfect continuous | S+have/has+been+Ving+Obj | I have been eating breakfast for 30 minutes. |
| Past perfect continuous | S+had+been+Ving+Obj | I had been eating breakfast for 30 minutes when my friends called. |
| Future perfect continuous | S+will have+been+Ving+Obj | I will have been eating breakfast for 30 minutes by the time you arrive. |
12 Types of Sentences with Rules and examples
Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is used to describe facts, habits, and general truth.
Structure
Subject + base form of verb(s/es) + the rest of the sentence
Here are some examples of simple present tense.
Examples
- I play cricket every day.
- He always eats breakfast together.
- The sun sets in the west.
- He drinks a glass of milk in the morning.
- She teaches English at a local school.
Present Continuous Tense
The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening now.
Structure
Subject + am/is/are + present participle (Ving) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- We are playing tennis on the playground.
- The dog is barking at the cat.
- The English teacher is teaching in the classroom.
- They are purchasing a new iPhone.
- Emma is making cookies in the kitchen.
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used to describe the action that started in the past and is completed in the present moment.
Structure
Subject + have/has + past participle (V3) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- She has finished her dinner.
- They have lost her wallet again.
- The bird has flown again on the cage.
- I have met some interesting people today.
- She has adopted a rescue bunny.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe the action that started in the past and continues with the present moment.
Structure
Subject + have/has been + present participle (Ving) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- We have been reading a newspaper for 20 minutes.
- My father has been going to the office since January.
- Amelia has been running in the morning for three years.
- David has been selling a computer course for a year.
- She has been singing a song for ten years.
Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to describe the action that happened in the past.
Structure
Subject + past form of verb (V2) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- I went to the market yesterday.
- The concert started at 8 pm.
- He finished his project on time.
- She watched a horror movie last night.
- We played football in the park on Sunday.
Past Continuous Tense
The past continuous tense is used to describe the action that was continuing in the past.
Structure
Subject + was/were + present participle (Ving) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- We were watching a movie in the theater.
- They were talking to her friend on the phone.
- He was enjoying a tasty pizza.
- She was sunbathing on the beach.
- The cat was playing with the toy.
Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to describe the action that was completed before a specific point in the past.
Structure
Subject + had + past participle (V3) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- They had left the party before the fight started.
- They had eaten all the noodles before I go home.
- My friends had left when my mom arrived.
- We had studied the material before the exam.
- They had organized the party before the guests arrived.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe the actions that were in progress before a specific point in the past.
Structure
Subject + had been + present participle (Ving) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- They had been playing basketball since noon.
- She had been telling a lie.
- Emma had been combing her hair for 30 minutes
- He had been going to the gym for a year.
- The teacher had been explaining the lesson for an hour.
Simple Future Tense
The simple future tense is used to describe the action that will happen in the future.
Structure
Subject + shall/will + base form of verb (V1) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- He will watch the movie tonight.
- They will study for the exam this weekend.
- She will cook dinner for her family.
- My father will purchase a new car next year.
- We will go by elevator.
Future Continuous Tense
The future continuous tense is used to describe the actions that will be in progress at a specific point in the future.
Structure
Subject + will be+ present participle (Ving) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- He will be attending a meeting at 3 pm tomorrow.
- My father will be washing the car in the morning.
- She will be going to the market at this time tomorrow.
- They will be on vacation next month.
- My parents will be attending the school meeting next week.
Future Perfect Tense
The Future perfect tense is used to describe the actions that will be completed before a specific point in the future.
Structure
Subject + will have + past participle (V3) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- The musician will have released their new album by next month.
- The team will have won the championship by next season.
- He will have achieved his career goals by next year.
- The product will have been shipped by next week.
- He will have retired by next year.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe the actions that will have been in progress up to a specific point in the future, with a focus on the duration of the action.
Structure
Subject + will have been + present participle (Ving) + the rest of the sentence
Examples
- He will have been studying for the exam for a week by next Monday.
- The teacher will have been taking the class test for 3 days this Wednesday.
- By this time tomorrow, I will have been studying for six hours.
- They will have been saving for the new car for a month by next month.
- The research will have been ongoing for two years by next month.