ENGLISH VERB TENSESTHE ULTIMATE GUIDE
Verb conjugations reflect three elements: the subject, the tense, and the mood. The subject may be singular or plural and maybe in the first person (“I” or “we”), in the second person (“you”), or in the third person “he,” she,” “it,” or “they”).
Verb tenses include different forms of the past, present, and future. The term “mood” refers, generally, to the attitude of the speaker toward his subject. The different moods include the indicative, the subjunctive (rare in English), the conditional, and the imperative.
We can classify the English Verb tenses in the past, present, and future.
PAST TENSES
Past tenses are used to talk about things that started and ended in the past or things that started in the past and continue to the present.
There are a number of ways of talking about the past:
Past Perfect Simple
- Subject + Auxiliary verb “HAD” + past participle
We use the past perfect simple:
- to indicate that we are talking about something which happened before another action which happened in the past:
- When he got to the station, his train had already left.
- When he got to the station, his train left.
It is typically used with time expressions such as when, as soon as, after, before.
- She started driving before he’d fastened his seatbelt.
- When he got to the station, his train had already left.
Past Perfect Continuous
- Subject + Auxiliary Verb “HAD” + “BEEN” + Verb -ing
- focuses on the length of time:
- I had been sleeping all day that I didn’t realize you were here.
- says how long something happened up to a point in the past:
- He had been playing for Manchester for only three games when we scored his first goal.
Past Simple
- Subject + Regular Verb (-ed) / Irregular Verb
The past simple expresses actions complete in the past. Unlike those described by the present perfect, these actions do not continue in the present. Unlike the past continuous, the past simple does not describe the process or duration of actions, it states them only as completed actions:
- She went to the store this afternoon.
- I lived in London for three years.
- Did you arrive on time?
Past Continuous
- Subject + Auxiliary Verb “WAS/WERE” + Verb -ing
- He was eating his dinner when the phone rang.
Consequently, state verbs indicating belief, emotion, possession, etc., are rarely conjugated in the past continuous.
We use the past continuous to talk about:
- an activity which started before and continued until an event in the past:
- He was riding to school when his motorbike broke down.
- an activity which started before and continued after an event in the past:
- I was watching television when the news was announced.
Used to
To describe habits or states in the past that are not true now, we use the construction “used to + verb”.
- When I was little, we used to go camping a lot.
We use “used to” to talk about:
- situations or states in the past which are not true now
- My math teacher used to be in the army.
- repeated activities or habits in the past which do not happen now
- She used to run in the London Marathon every year until she injured her leg.
- When I was little, we would go camping a lot.
PRESENT TENSES
Present Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous
- Subject + Auxiliary Verb “HAVE/HAS” + past participle
- I have always wanted to visit Israel.
- How long have you lived in Quebec?
- I haven’t cooked yet.
- I have just arrived.
- I have just about finished. (I have almost finished; I will finish soon.)
Present Perfect Continuous
- Subject + Auxiliary Verb “HAVE/HAS” + BEEN + Verb -ing
- either has a result in the present:
- I’ve been partying all weekend, so I’m feeling tired now.
- or is still happening now:
- We’ve been building an extension to our house (and we haven’t finished yet).
Present Simple
State Verbs
We usually use verbs that describe states, not actions, in the present simple.
These verbs describe:
Present Continuous
- Subject + Verb(-s)
- Jill speaks four languages fluently.
- Does your father like to cook?
- No, he does not (doesn’t) like to cook.
- He’ll pay us as soon as we finish.
State Verbs
We usually use verbs that describe states, not actions, in the present simple.
These verbs describe:
- thoughts: believe, know, remember, think (meaning ‘believe’), feel (meaning ‘believe’), suppose, etc.
- feelings: love, like, hate, want, prefer, etc.
- senses: smell, hear, taste, see, feel, touch
- possession: have, belong, own, etc.
- the verb “to be”
- I’m thinking about what to do today. (I’m planning.)
- I don’t want to come to the party because I’m feeling tired.
Present Continuous
- Subject + AM/ARE/IS + Verb -ing
- He is eating his dinner.
- Indications of emotion, belief, and possession are rarely conjugated in the present continuous:
- Cheryl owns her own house.
- In certain situations, the present continuous can be used for future plans or arrangements:
- They are leaving tomorrow.
Present continuous in the negative
The word “not” comes after the auxiliary “to be”:
The word “not” comes after the auxiliary “to be”:
- You are not driving fast enough.
Going to
- BE going to + verb
- They are going to regret that decision.
- She was going to leave, but the telephone rang.
FUTURE TENSES
Future simple
Future continuous
If it is possible to use the expression “will be in the process of”, use the future continuous. It indicates that an action will continue at a given moment. The future simple suggests that the action will be complete. Consequently, the tense choice can influence meaning.
Future perfect
Future perfect continuous
EF English Live
Founded in 1996, EF English Live has been at the cutting edge of language learning for nearly two decades, having been the first to pioneer a 24-hour teacher-led online English course. Backed by a world-class team of academic and technical experts, plus two thousand certified online English teachers, our mission is to use technology to create a fundamentally better way to learn English.
Adapted from: https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/language-lab/english-verb-tenses-guide/. Accessed on July 15, 2021. Copyright © 1996 - 2021 © EF Education First Group. All rights reserved. EF English Live and Englishlive.ef.com are registered trademarks.
- Subject + WILL + verb
- She will go to the library this evening.
- We will be dancing all night long.
- Shall I open the window?
- I shall meet her at the library.
Future continuous
- Subject + WILL BE + Verb -ing
- I will be waiting for you at six o’clock.
If it is possible to use the expression “will be in the process of”, use the future continuous. It indicates that an action will continue at a given moment. The future simple suggests that the action will be complete. Consequently, the tense choice can influence meaning.
- I will be finishing my homework at 10:00.
- I will finish my homework at 10:00.
Future perfect
- Subject + WILL HAVE + past participle
- She will have finished before eight o’clock.
- Tomorrow morning, they will all leave.
Future perfect continuous
- Subject + WILL HAVE BEEN + Verb -ing
- I will have been living in Sydney for 2 years when I finish my studies.
EF English Live
Founded in 1996, EF English Live has been at the cutting edge of language learning for nearly two decades, having been the first to pioneer a 24-hour teacher-led online English course. Backed by a world-class team of academic and technical experts, plus two thousand certified online English teachers, our mission is to use technology to create a fundamentally better way to learn English.
Adapted from: https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/language-lab/english-verb-tenses-guide/. Accessed on July 15, 2021. Copyright © 1996 - 2021 © EF Education First Group. All rights reserved. EF English Live and Englishlive.ef.com are registered trademarks.
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