The 12 English Verb Tenses Explained with Examples

English has 12 verb tenses: three times (present, past and future) combined with four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous). Once you know what each of the four aspects adds, you don't need twelve separate rules. You need one idea applied three times. This guide gives you the full list of English verb tenses with how to form each one, an example and its signal words, a timeline for each group, the pairs learners mix up most and the mistakes to avoid. A 12-question exercise with answers is at the end. If you'd rather practise the tenses one by one, start the English tenses course with exercises.

1.How many verb tenses are there in English?

The usual answer, and the one you'll find in course books and exams, is 12. Each tense name is built from two parts:

• the time: present, past or future
• the aspect: simple, continuous (also called progressive), perfect or perfect continuous

3 × 4 = 12. That's why the names are so regular: Past Perfect is the perfect aspect in the past, Future Continuous is the continuous aspect in the future. Here are all 12 in one grid, with the verb work:

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect continuous
Present	I work	I am working	I have worked	I have been working
Past	I worked	I was working	I had worked	I had been working
Future	I will work	I will be working	I will have worked	I will have been working

Read the grid across a row and the time stays the same while the aspect changes. Read it down a column and the aspect stays the same while the time changes. Notice the pattern in the helper verbs: continuous always uses be + -ing, perfect always uses have + past participle, and perfect continuous combines both (have been + -ing).

Why some sources say 2, 3 or 16 tenses

You'll also see other numbers, and none of them are wrong. They just count different things:

• 2 tenses. Strictly speaking, only two tenses change the verb itself: present (work, works) and past (worked). Everything else is built with helper verbs (will, be, have). This is the view of most grammarians, which is why some grammar books say "English has no future tense" and treat will as a modal verb.
• 3 tenses. "Past, present and future" is the simplest way to talk about time, and it's how many school worksheets introduce verb tenses before adding the aspects.
• 12 tenses. Three times × four aspects, as in the grid above. This is the standard teaching model and the one this guide (and the GrammarTrack course) follows.
• 16 tenses. Some lists add the four future in the past forms: would work, would be working, would have worked, would have been working (She said she would call). They are useful, but most course books teach them with reported speech and conditionals, not as separate tenses.

The names differ too. American textbooks often say progressive (Present Progressive), British ones continuous (Present Continuous), and some put the words in a different order (Simple Present vs Present Simple). They all mean the same tenses.

2.English verb tenses chart: form, example and signal words

Tense	How to form it	Example	Signal words
Present Simple	base verb (+ -s with he/she/it)	She works in a bank.	always, usually, often, never, every day
Present Continuous	am / is / are + -ing	I'm working from home today.	now, right now, at the moment, today, Look!
Present Perfect	have / has + past participle	I've finished my report.	already, just, yet, ever, never, so far
Present Perfect Continuous	have / has been + -ing	I've been working here since May.	for, since, how long, all day, lately
Past Simple	verb + -ed or irregular past form	I worked late yesterday.	yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020
Past Continuous	was / were + -ing	I was working when you called.	while, when, at 8 pm yesterday
Past Perfect	had + past participle	The meeting had started when I arrived.	before, after, already, by the time
Past Perfect Continuous	had been + -ing	I had been working for hours, so I was tired.	for, since, how long, before
Future Simple	will + base verb	I'll work on it tomorrow.	tomorrow, next week, soon, I think, probably
Future Continuous	will be + -ing	This time tomorrow I'll be working in Paris.	this time tomorrow, at 10 tomorrow
Future Perfect	will have + past participle	By Friday I'll have finished the project.	by Friday, by then, by the time
Future Perfect Continuous	will have been + -ing	In June I'll have been working here for ten years.	by … for, in June … for

The past participle is the third form of the verb. For regular verbs it looks like the past simple (work, worked, worked). For irregular verbs you have to learn it (go, went, gone; write, wrote, written). The most common ones are in the irregular verbs list with practice.

Signal words are a good first clue, but they don't decide the tense on their own. When works with the past simple, the past continuous and the past perfect, and for works with almost every tense. What decides it is what the sentence means, and that's what the four aspects tell you.

3.What simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous mean

The same four ideas repeat in the present, the past and the future:

• Simple: the action as a plain fact. Habits, general truths, finished actions, one action after another. She plays tennis. She played tennis yesterday.
• Continuous (be + -ing): the action is in progress at a certain moment, or it's temporary. She is playing tennis now. She was playing tennis at 5 pm.
• Perfect (have + past participle): the action happened before a certain moment and still matters at that moment. She has broken her racket (so she can't play now). She had broken her racket before the match.
• Perfect continuous (have been + -ing): the focus is on how long an action has been going on up to a certain moment. She has been playing for two hours.

To recognise a tense in a sentence, look at the first helper verb. It carries the time: has and is are present, had and was are past, will is future. What comes after it shows the aspect. If there is no helper verb at all (she works, she worked), it's the Present Simple or the Past Simple.

4.Present tenses with timelines

Timeline

Present Simple Simple Present

I play football every Saturday.

A routine: true then, now and next week.

Present Continuous Present Progressive

I'm reading a book right now.

In progress around this moment, then it stops.

Present Perfect

I've lost my keys.

Happened before now; the result matters now.

Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Progressive

I've been learning English for three years.

Started in the past and still going: how long so far.

habitin progressdone before, matters laterhow longnow

Present Simple

Form: base verb; add -s or -es with he, she and it (she works, he watches). Questions and negatives use do / does: Do you work? She doesn't work.

Use: habits and routines (I go to the gym twice a week), facts and general truths (Water boils at 100 °C), timetables (The train leaves at 6:15), and states with verbs like know, like, want, need.

More rules and interactive practice: Present Simple with examples and exercises. The verb be has its own forms, covered in am, is, are in the present.

Present Continuous

Form: am / is / are + verb-ing: I'm reading, she's working, they aren't listening.

Use: actions happening now (Don't call, I'm driving), temporary situations (I'm staying with friends this month), changes in progress (Prices are going up) and fixed plans for the future (I'm meeting Anna tonight).

State verbs (know, believe, belong, own) are normally not used in the continuous: I know the answer, not I'm knowing. See the list of non-progressive verbs. Rules and practice: Present Continuous explained.

Present Perfect

Form: have / has + past participle: I've seen, she has gone, have you eaten?

Use: past actions with a result now (I've lost my keys, so I can't get in), life experience with no time given (Have you ever been to Japan?), and unfinished time periods (I've drunk three coffees today). Typical words: already, just, yet, ever, never, so far.

The Present Perfect never goes with a finished time like yesterday or in 2019. That's the Past Simple. Learn more in the Present Perfect: form and uses.

Present Perfect Continuous

Form: have / has been + verb-ing: I've been waiting, it has been raining.

Use: an action that started in the past and is still going on, with the focus on how long (I've been learning English for three years), or a recent activity with visible results (You're out of breath. Have you been running?).

Practice: Present Perfect Continuous with for and since.

5.Past tenses with timelines

Timeline

Past Simple Simple Past

I saw Tom yesterday.

Finished at a known time in the past.

Past Continuous Past Progressive

I was cooking when you called.

In progress when something else happened.

Past Perfect

The train had left when we arrived.

Done before another past moment.

Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Progressive

We had been waiting for an hour when the bus came.

How long it went on before a past moment.

single actionin progressdone before, matters laterhow longnow

Past Simple

Form: regular verbs add -ed (worked, played, stopped); irregular verbs have their own form (went, saw, bought). Questions and negatives use did + base verb: Did you go? I didn't go.

Use: finished actions at a finished time (I saw Tom yesterday), a series of past actions (I got up, had a shower and left), and past habits (We walked to school every day).

Rules and practice: Past Simple with regular and irregular verbs.

Past Continuous

Form: was / were + verb-ing: I was cooking, they were sleeping.

Use: an action in progress at a moment in the past (At 8 pm I was watching a film), a longer action interrupted by a shorter one (I was cooking when you called), and two actions going on at the same time (While I was cooking, he was setting the table).

Rules and practice: Past Continuous explained.

Past Perfect

Form: had + past participle: I had finished, she hadn't seen.

Use: an action that happened before another past action or time (When we got to the station, the train had already left). It's the "past of the past". If the order is already clear from before or after, the Past Simple is often fine: I left before he arrived.

Rules and practice: Past Perfect with examples.

Past Perfect Continuous

Form: had been + verb-ing: We had been waiting, it had been raining.

Use: how long an action had been going on before a past moment (We had been waiting for an hour when the bus came), or the cause of a past situation (The streets were wet. It had been raining).

Rules and practice: Past Perfect Continuous explained.

6.Future tenses with timelines

Timeline

Future Simple will

I'll call you tomorrow.

A decision, promise or prediction about later.

Future Continuous Future Progressive

At ten tomorrow I'll be flying to Rome.

In progress at a moment in the future.

Future Perfect

By Friday I'll have finished the project.

Done before a deadline in the future.

Future Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Progressive

In June I'll have been working here for ten years.

How long it will have lasted by a future moment.

single actionin progressdone before, matters laterhow longnow

Future Simple (will)

Form: will + base verb, the same for every person: I'll help, she won't come, will they know?

Use: decisions made at the moment of speaking (It's cold. I'll close the window), promises and offers (I'll call you tomorrow), and predictions based on opinion (I think it will rain).

English has two other very common ways to talk about the future, and neither is one of the 12 tenses: be going to for plans and for predictions based on what you can see (Look at those clouds. It's going to rain), and the Present Continuous for arrangements (I'm flying to Rome on Monday). Learn more in Future Simple with will and the be going to structure.

Future Continuous

Form: will be + verb-ing: I'll be working, they'll be sleeping.

Use: an action in progress at a moment in the future (At ten tomorrow I'll be flying to Rome), and polite questions about plans (Will you be using the car tonight?).

Rules and practice: Future Continuous explained.

Future Perfect

Form: will have + past participle: I'll have finished, they won't have arrived.

Use: an action that will be complete before a point in the future (By Friday I'll have finished the project). Look for by + a time: by then, by next year, by the time you arrive.

Rules and practice: Future Perfect with by and by the time.

Future Perfect Continuous

Form: will have been + verb-ing: I'll have been working.

Use: how long an action will have been going on at a point in the future (In June I'll have been working here for ten years). It's the rarest of the 12 tenses. You need to recognise it, but you'll seldom need to use it.

Rules and practice: Future Perfect Continuous explained.

7.Tenses learners often mix up

Most tense mistakes come from a handful of pairs. If you're short on time, practise these comparisons:

• Present Simple vs Present Continuous: I work (always, my job) vs I'm working (now, or temporarily). Practise them side by side: Present Simple or Present Continuous?
• Present Perfect vs Past Simple: I've lost my keys (I still haven't found them) vs I lost my keys yesterday (finished time). The single most common tense question in English: Present Perfect or Past Simple?
• Past Simple vs Past Continuous: I cooked dinner (the whole action) vs I was cooking (in progress, often interrupted): Past Simple or Past Continuous?
• Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous: I've painted the room (it's done) vs I've been painting the room (activity, maybe not finished): Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous?
• will vs be going to: I'll have the soup (decided now) vs I'm going to cook tonight (already planned): will or going to?

8.Common verb tense mistakes

1. A finished time with the Present Perfect. I have seen him yesterday. → I saw him yesterday. Words like yesterday, last year, ago, in 2019 need the Past Simple.
2. The Present Simple with since or for up to now. I live here since 2018. → I've lived / I've been living here since 2018.
3. State verbs in the continuous. I'm wanting a coffee. → I want a coffee. The same goes for know, need, understand, believe, belong.
4. will after when, if or as soon as. When I will get home, I'll call you. → When I get home, I'll call you. Time and condition clauses use a present tense for the future.
5. Two past forms after did. Did you went? She didn't saw it. → Did you go? She didn't see it. After did, the verb goes back to the base form.
6. Forgetting the -s. She work in a bank. → She works in a bank. Only he, she and it take the -s in the Present Simple.
7. Using the Past Perfect for any past action. I had visited Rome last year. → I visited Rome last year. The Past Perfect needs another past action or time to come before.

One thing that isn't a mistake: in American English the Past Simple is common with just, already and yet (Did you eat yet? I just saw him), where British English prefers the Present Perfect (Have you eaten yet? I've just seen him). Both are correct in their variety.

9.How to choose the right tense: three questions

When you're not sure which tense to use, ask yourself three questions in this order:

1. When? Is the action present, past or future? That gives you the first word of the tense name and the time of the helper verb.
2. In progress or a fact? If the action is in progress at that moment, or temporary, use a continuous form. If it's a plain fact, a habit or a complete action, use a simple form.
3. Before another moment? If the action happened before the moment you're talking about and still matters then, use a perfect form. If you also want to say how long it has been going on, use perfect continuous.

For example: By the time we arrived, the film ___ (start). When? Past. In progress? No, it's a single action. Before another moment? Yes, before we arrived. So: Past Perfect, had started.

10.Which verb tenses should you learn first?

You don't need all 12 at once. This is a sensible order, roughly matching the CEFR levels (see English proficiency levels A1 to C2 if the letters are new to you):

Level	Tenses	Why
A1–A2	Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, Future Simple, be going to	Enough for everyday conversations about routines, now, yesterday and plans
B1	Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous, Past Continuous, Future Continuous	You start connecting the past to the present and telling stories
B2	Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect, Future Perfect Continuous	For longer stories, reports and more precise timing

On GrammarTrack the same split runs through the Elementary (A2), Intermediate (B1) and Advanced (B2) courses, and the English tenses course puts all 12 tenses and the most-confused pairs in one sequence.

11.Verb tenses exercise (with answers)

Put the verb in brackets into the correct tense. Sometimes two answers are possible.

1. My brother (work) in a hospital. He's a nurse.
2. Can you call back later? We (have) dinner.
3. I (know) Sara since we were at school.
4. Shakespeare (write) Hamlet around 1600.
5. I (take) a shower when the doorbell rang.
6. By the time the police arrived, the thieves (escape).
7. "The phone's ringing." "OK, I (get) it."
8. Don't call at nine. I (drive) to the airport then.
9. By next summer they (build) the new bridge.
10. (you / ever / see) a whale?
11. If it (rain) tomorrow, we'll stay at home.
12. Her eyes were red because she (cry).

Answers (click to open)

1: works (Present Simple: a permanent fact, his job)
2: are having (Present Continuous: in progress right now)
3: have known (Present Perfect with since; know is a state verb, so not have been knowing)
4: wrote (Past Simple: finished time in the past, irregular verb)
5: was taking (Past Continuous: in progress, interrupted by the doorbell)
6: had escaped (Past Perfect: before the police arrived)
7: will get / 'll get (Future Simple: a decision made at the moment of speaking)
8: will be driving (Future Continuous: in progress at a future moment)
9: will have built (Future Perfect: complete before a future point)
10: Have you ever seen (Present Perfect: life experience, no time given)
11: rains (Present Simple after if, even though it's about the future)
12: had been crying (Past Perfect Continuous: an earlier activity that explains a past situation)

12.What to practise next

If you got some answers wrong, go back to the three questions above: most mistakes come from skipping question 3, before another moment? Then practise the tenses one at a time, starting with the Present Simple rules and exercises. Each topic page has a short explanation, examples and interactive GrammarTrack exercises that tell you why an answer is wrong. When the present tenses feel easy, move on to the Past Simple and the Present Perfect, the two tenses learners confuse most.