Tense chart: all 12 English tenses
Every English tense on one page, with the formula for positive, negative and question sentences, an example of each, and when to use it. V1 is the base form of the verb, V2 the past form and V3 the past participle.
The full chart
| Tense | Positive | Negative | Question | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Subject + V1 (add -s/-es with he, she, it) | Subject + do/does not + V1 | Do/Does + subject + V1? | She works in Pune. She does not work on Sundays. Does she work from home? |
| Present continuous | Subject + am/is/are + V1-ing | Subject + am/is/are not + V1-ing | Am/Is/Are + subject + V1-ing? | I am writing a report. I am not writing it today. Are you writing it now? |
| Present perfect | Subject + has/have + V3 | Subject + has/have not + V3 | Has/Have + subject + V3? | We have finished the project. We have not finished the project. Have you finished the project? |
| Present perfect continuous | Subject + has/have been + V1-ing | Subject + has/have not been + V1-ing | Has/Have + subject + been + V1-ing? | He has been waiting since 9 o'clock. He has not been waiting long. How long has he been waiting? |
| Past simple | Subject + V2 | Subject + did not + V1 | Did + subject + V1? | They moved to Delhi in 2019. They did not move last year. When did they move? |
| Past continuous | Subject + was/were + V1-ing | Subject + was/were not + V1-ing | Was/Were + subject + V1-ing? | I was driving when you called. I was not driving fast. Were you driving at the time? |
| Past perfect | Subject + had + V3 | Subject + had not + V3 | Had + subject + V3? | The train had left before we reached the station. The train had not left yet. Had the train left? |
| Past perfect continuous | Subject + had been + V1-ing | Subject + had not been + V1-ing | Had + subject + been + V1-ing? | She had been working there for ten years when she resigned. She had not been sleeping well. Had she been working late? |
| Future simple | Subject + will + V1 | Subject + will not (won't) + V1 | Will + subject + V1? | I will call you tomorrow. I won't forget. Will you call me? |
| Future continuous | Subject + will be + V1-ing | Subject + will not be + V1-ing | Will + subject + be + V1-ing? | This time tomorrow we will be flying to Goa. We will not be working on Friday. Will you be using the car tonight? |
| Future perfect | Subject + will have + V3 | Subject + will not have + V3 | Will + subject + have + V3? | By June, they will have completed the bridge. They will not have finished by May. Will they have finished by then? |
| Future perfect continuous | Subject + will have been + V1-ing | Subject + will not have been + V1-ing | Will + subject + have been + V1-ing? | By next year, I will have been teaching for twenty years. He will not have been waiting long. How long will you have been living here? |
Present tenses
Present simple
Subject + V1 (add -s/-es with he, she, it)
- She works in Pune.
- She does not work on Sundays.
- Does she work from home?
Use: Habits, routines, facts and timetables.
Signal words: always, usually, every day, often, never
Present continuous
Subject + am/is/are + V1-ing
- I am writing a report.
- I am not writing it today.
- Are you writing it now?
Use: Actions happening now, temporary situations and fixed plans.
Signal words: now, at the moment, today, this week
Present perfect
Subject + has/have + V3
- We have finished the project.
- We have not finished the project.
- Have you finished the project?
Use: A past action with a result now, experience, or a time period that is not over.
Signal words: already, yet, just, ever, never, so far, this year
Present perfect continuous
Subject + has/have been + V1-ing
- He has been waiting since 9 o'clock.
- He has not been waiting long.
- How long has he been waiting?
Use: An action that started in the past and is still going on, or has only just stopped.
Signal words: since, for, all day, how long
Past tenses
Past simple
Subject + V2
- They moved to Delhi in 2019.
- They did not move last year.
- When did they move?
Use: A finished action at a known time in the past.
Signal words: yesterday, last week, in 2019, ago
Past continuous
Subject + was/were + V1-ing
- I was driving when you called.
- I was not driving fast.
- Were you driving at the time?
Use: An action in progress at a moment in the past, often interrupted by another action.
Signal words: while, when, at 8 pm yesterday
Past perfect
Subject + had + V3
- The train had left before we reached the station.
- The train had not left yet.
- Had the train left?
Use: The earlier of two past actions.
Signal words: before, after, by the time, already
Past perfect continuous
Subject + had been + V1-ing
- She had been working there for ten years when she resigned.
- She had not been sleeping well.
- Had she been working late?
Use: How long an action went on before another past moment.
Signal words: for, since, before, when
Future tenses
Future simple
Subject + will + V1
- I will call you tomorrow.
- I won't forget.
- Will you call me?
Use: Decisions made now, predictions, promises and offers.
Signal words: tomorrow, next week, soon, I think
Future continuous
Subject + will be + V1-ing
- This time tomorrow we will be flying to Goa.
- We will not be working on Friday.
- Will you be using the car tonight?
Use: An action in progress at a moment in the future.
Signal words: this time tomorrow, at 10 am on Monday
Future perfect
Subject + will have + V3
- By June, they will have completed the bridge.
- They will not have finished by May.
- Will they have finished by then?
Use: An action that will be complete before a point in the future.
Signal words: by, by the time, before
Future perfect continuous
Subject + will have been + V1-ing
- By next year, I will have been teaching for twenty years.
- He will not have been waiting long.
- How long will you have been living here?
Use: How long an action will have gone on by a point in the future.
Signal words: for, by next year, by the time
Common mistakes with tenses
✕I am knowing him for years.
✓I have known him for years.
Know is a state verb, so it is not used in continuous forms. With for, use the present perfect.
✕I have seen him yesterday.
✓I saw him yesterday.
A finished past time such as yesterday needs the past simple.
✕He did not went to office.
✓He did not go to the office.
After did, use V1, not V2.
✕I am working here since 2020.
✓I have been working here since 2020.
With since or for, use the present perfect continuous, not the present continuous.
✕She will reach before you will leave.
✓She will reach before you leave.
After time words such as before, when and after, use the present simple for the future.
✕When I reached, the meeting already started.
✓When I reached, the meeting had already started.
Use the past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.
Practise the tenses
Each tense lesson explains the rules and gives you exercises that check your answers as you go: Present tenses, Past tenses, Future tenses and Sequence of tenses.
Questions
How many tenses are there in English?
English grammar is usually taught as 12 tenses: present, past and future, each in four forms (simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous).
What are V1, V2 and V3?
V1 is the base form of a verb (go), V2 is the past simple form (went) and V3 is the past participle (gone). Regular verbs add -ed for both V2 and V3.
Which tenses use V3?
All the perfect tenses: has/have + V3, had + V3 and will have + V3. The passive voice also uses V3.
What is the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?
Use the past simple when you say or know when something finished (I saw it yesterday). Use the present perfect when the time is not stated or not over, and the result matters now (I have seen it).