The 12 Basic English Tenses

The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic English tenses. In each lesson we look at
two aspects of the tense:

 Structure: How do we make the tense?

 Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional matters, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your
understanding.

 Present Simple
I do, I do do

 Present Continuous
I am doing

 Present Perfect
I have done

 Present Perfect Continuous

I have been doing

 Past Simple
I did, I did do

 Past Continuous
I was doing

 Past Perfect
I had done

 Past Perfect Continuous

I had been doing

 Future Simple
I will do

 Future Continuous
I will be doing

 Future Perfect
I will have done
  Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been doing

Many English learners worry too much about tense. If you stopped 100 native English speakers in
the street and asked them about tense, 1 of them might give you an intelligent answer - if you
were lucky. The other 99 would know little about terms like "past perfect" or "present
continuous". And they would know nothing about aspect, voice or mood. But they can all speak
fluent English and communicate effectively. Of course, for ESL it helps to know about tenses, but
don't become obsessed with them. Be like those native speakers! Speak naturally!

EnglishClub : Learn English : Grammar : Verbs : Tense : 12 Basic Tenses

Present Simple

The Present Simple tense is the most basic tense in English and uses the base form of the verb
(except for the verb be). The only change from the base is the addition of s for third person
singular.

How do we make the Present Simple tense?

There are two basic structures for the Present Simple:

1. Positive sentences

subject + main verb

Present Simple

2. Negative and question sentences

subject + auxiliary do + main verb

conjugated in Present Simple  

 do, does base

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

  subject auxiliary verb   main verb  

I, you, we, they   like coffee.

+
He, she, it   likes coffee.

I, you, we, they do not like coffee.

-
He, she, it does not like coffee.

Do I, you, we, they   like coffee?

?
Does he, she, it   like coffee?

From the above table, notice the following points...

For positive sentences:

 There is no auxiliary verb.

 We conjugate the main verb by adding s to the third person singular.

For negative and question sentences:

 The auxiliary verb (do) is conjugated in the Present Simple: do, does

 The main verb is invariable in base form: base

 For negative sentences, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

 For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Emphatic do
Normally, for positive sentences we do not use the auxiliary verb do. But if we want to emphasize
(stress) something, we may use it. For example, instead of saying "I like your dress", we could say
"I do like your dress", just to show how much we like it. Here are some more examples:

 I do wish you'd stop.

 I do apologize.

 You do look smart today.

Present Simple with main verb be

The structure of the Present Simple with the main verb be is:
subject + main verb be

conjugated in Present Simple

am, are, is

Look at these examples with the main verb be:

  subject main verb be    

I am   French.

+ You, we, they are   French.

He, she, it is   French.

I am not old.

- You, we, they are not old.

He, she, it is not old.

Am I   late?

? Are you, we, they   late?

Is he, she, it   late?

From the above table, notice the following points...

 There is no auxiliary verb, even for questions and negatives.

 The main verb (be) is conjugated in the Present Simple: am, are, is

 For negative sentences, we insert not after the main verb.

 For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the main verb.

How do we use the Present Simple tense?

We use the Present Simple to talk about:

 general time (action verbs)

 situations now (stative verbs)

 general time and situations now (verb be)

Present Simple for general time

We use the Present Simple tense when:

  the action is general

 the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future

 the action is not only happening now

 the statement is always true

John drives a taxi.

past present future

It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.

Look at these examples:

 I live in New York.

 The Moon goes round the Earth.

 John drives a taxi.

 He does not drive a bus.

 We meet every Thursday.

 We do not work at night.

 Do you play football?

Present Simple for now

For stative verbs, we can use the Present Simple to talk about now. Stative verbs do not describe
action. They describe state, and are verbs such as: like, sound, belong to, need, seem. We can use
these verbs with the Present Simple tense to talk about a situation at the present time, not
general.

I want a coffee.
That sounds interesting.
Do you need some help?

past present future

  The situation is now.  

Present Simple for general time and now

The verb be is always special. It is a stative verb, and we use it in the Present Simple tense to talk
about now situations and about general situations. Look at these examples of the verb be in the
Present Simple tense - some are general and some are now:

I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.

past present future

The situation is general. Past, present and future.

Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
We are hungry.

past present future

  The situation is now.  

This page shows the use of the Present Simple tense to talk about now and about general time.
But note that there are other uses for the Present Simple, for example in the zero conditional or to
talk about the future.

Present Continuous

(also called Present Progressive)

We often use the Present Continuous tense in English. It is very different from the Present Simple
tense, both in structure and in use.

How do we make the Present Continuous tense?

The structure of the Present Continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary be + main verb

 conjugated in Present Simple  

am, are, is present participle (-ing)

The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Present Simple: am, are, is

The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing

For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Look at these example sentences with the Present Continuous tense:

  subject auxiliary verb   main verb  

+I am   speaking to you.

+ You are   reading this.

- She is not staying in London.

- We are not playing football.

? Is he   watching TV?

? Are they   waiting for John?

How do we use the Present Continuous tense?

We use the Present Continuous to talk about:

 action happening now

 action in the future

Present Continuous for action happening now

a) for action happening exactly now

I am eating my lunch.

past present future

The action is happening now.  

Look at these images. Right now you are looking at this screen and at the same time...
the pages are turning the candle is burning the numbers are spinning

b) for action happening around now

The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before and just after now,
and it is not permanent or habitual.

John is looking for a new job.

past present future

   

The action is happening

   
"around" now.

Look at these examples:

 Muriel is learning to drive.

 I am living with my sister until I find an apartment.

Present Continuous for the future

We can also use the Present Continuous tense to talk about the future - if we add a future word!!
We must add (or understand from the context) a future word. "Future words" include, for
example, tomorrow, next year, in June, at Christmas etc. We only use the Present Continuous
tense to talk about the future when we have planned to do something before we speak. We have
already made a decision and a plan before speaking.

I am taking my exam next month.

past present future

  !!!

A firm plan or programme exists

  The action is in the future.
now.

Look at these examples:

 We're eating at Joe's Cafe tonight. We've already booked the table..

 They can play tennis with you tomorrow. They're not working.
  When are you starting your new job?

In these examples, a firm plan or programme exists before speaking. The decision and plan were
made before speaking.

How do we spell the Present Continuous tense?

We make the Present Continuous tense by adding -ing to the base verb. Normally it's simple: we
just add -ing. But sometimes we have to change the word a little. Perhaps we double the last
letter, or we drop a letter. Here are the rules to help you know how to spell the Present
Continuous tense.

Basic rule Just add -ing to the base verb:

work → working

play → playing

assist → assisting

see → seeing

be → being

Exception If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the last letter:

st o p

stressed
  consonant consonant
vowel

vowels = a, e, i, o, u

stop → stopping

run → running

begin → beginning

Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of the base verb is not
stressed:

open → opening

Exception If the base verb ends in ie, change the ie to y:

lie → lying

die → dying
Exception If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant + e, omit the e:

come → coming

mistake → mistaking

Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Present Continuous tense is
sometimes called the Present Progressive tense.

Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some
languages a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those
languages. In fact, the structure of the Present Perfect is very simple. The problems come with the
use of the tense. In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American
English.

In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Present Perfect tense, as well as the use of
for and since, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.

The Present Perfect tense is really a very interesting tense, and a very useful one. Try not to
translate the Present Perfect into your language. Just try to accept the concepts of this tense and
learn to "think" Present Perfect! You will soon learn to like the Present Perfect tense!

How do we make the Present Perfect tense?

The structure of the Present Perfect is:

subject + auxiliary have + main verb

conjugated in Present Simple  

have, has past participle

The auxiliary verb (have) is conjugated in the Present Simple: have, has

The main verb is invariable in past participle form: -ed (or irregular)

For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Look at these example sentences with the Present Perfect tense:

  subject auxiliary verb   main verb  

+I have   seen ET.

+ You have   eaten mine.

- She has not been to Rome.

- We have not played football.

? Have you   finished?  

? Have they   done it?

Contraction with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb. We
also sometimes do this in informal writing.

I have I've

You have You've

He has He's
She has She's
It has It's
John has John's
The car has The car's

We have We've

They have They've

 You've told me that before.

  John's seen Harry Potter.

In negative sentences, we may contract the auxiliary verb and "not":

 You haven't won the contest.

 She hasn't heard from him.

He's or he's??? Be careful! The 's contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs have and be. For
example, "It's eaten" can mean:

 It has eaten. (Present Perfect tense, active voice)

 It is eaten. (Present Simple tense, passive voice)

It is usually clear from the context.

How do we use the Present Perfect tense?

This tense is called the Present Perfect tense. There is always a connection with the past and with
the present.

We use the Present Perfect to talk about:

 experience

 change

 continuing situation

Present Perfect for experience

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about experience from the past. We are not interested in
when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:

I have seen an alien.

He has lived in Bangkok.
Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.

past present future

!!!  

The action or state was in the In my head, I have a memory

 
past. now.
Connection with past: the event was in the past
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something
about the event; I have experience of it

Present Perfect for change

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about a change, or new information:

I have bought a car.

past present future

- +  

Last week I didn't have a car. Now I have a car.  

John has broken his leg.

past present future

+ -  

Yesterday John had a good leg. Now he has a bad leg.  

Has the price gone up?

past present future

+ -  

Was the price $1.50 yesterday? Is the price $1.70 today?  

The police have arrested the killer.

past present future

- +  

Yesterday the killer was free. Now he is in prison.  

Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present

Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past

Americans do use the Present Perfect but less than British speakers. Americans often use the Past
Simple tense instead. An American might say "Did you have lunch?", where a British person would
say "Have you had lunch?"

Present Perfect for continuing situation

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started in
the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a
situation (not an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.

I have worked here since June.

He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara (for)?

past present future

   

(It will probably continue into

The situation started in the past. It continues up to now.
the future.)

Connection with past: the situation started in the past.

Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.

For and Since with Present Perfect tense

We often use for and since with perfect tenses:

 We use for to talk about a period of time: five minutes, two weeks, six years

 We use since to talk about a point in past time: 9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday

for since

a period of time a point in past time

------------ -•----------

20 minutes 6.15pm

three days Monday

6 months January

4 years 1994

2 centuries 1800

a long time I left school

ever the beginning of time

etc etc

Look at these example sentences using for and since with the Present Perfect tense:
  I have been here for twenty minutes.

 I have been here since 9 o'clock.

 John hasn't called for six months.

 John hasn't called since February.

 He has worked in New York for a long time.

 He has worked in New York since he left school.

For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.