 Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place: in the past, present, or future. There are also additional aspects that give extra details, such as the length of time the action occurred, which actions happened first, or whether a past action has an impact on the present. These grammatical aspects are the simple tense, perfect tense, continuous tense, and perfect continuous tense. This means that each simple past, present or future tense has three possibilities, making a total of twelve tenses. PRESENT TENSES Simple present The simple present is the most basic tense. It's used for individual actions or habitual actions in the present. Often the simple present is just the root verb with no changes or additions. The main exception to this is when the subject is third person and singular. You add the suffix –s. If the verb ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z, you add –es. If the verb ends in a consonant and y (the subject is third-person singular), drop the y and add –ies. "Today I feel like a million bucks!" "My father carries the baby while my mother stays on the couch. Present perfect [have/has] + [past participle] Present perfect is one of the most difficult English verb tenses. It is used to describe a few different types of actions, including: Additionally, the present perfect can be used to emphasize the significance of a completed action, especially one that happened over time. "We have visited my parents every summer". "My dog has eaten the garden hose again!" Present continuous [am/is/are] + [present participle] Use the present continuous to show an action happening right now or in the near future. "I am giving the cat a bath". "We are going to a movie tonight". Present perfect continuous [have/has] + [been] + [present participle] The present perfect continuous shows an ongoing action in the present that was started in the past. It is often used to emphasize the length of time. "We have been waiting for almost two hours!" "The teacher has been preparing several lessons". PAST TENSES Simple past Use the simple past to show actions completed in the past, with no extra emphasis. Regular past tense verbs are formed by adding the suffix –ed to the end of the verb (or just –d if the past tense verb already ends in an e). "I dropped the plate". "I slipped on the ice" "I dined on escargot" Irregular past tense verbs don't follow normal rules and use their own unique forms for past tense. For example, the past tense of the irregular verb 'buy' is 'bought', and 'forget' is 'forgot'. "This morning I bought a shirt, but I forgot the pants". Past perfect [had] + [past participle] The past perfect, also known as the pluperfect, shows that one past action happened earlier than another one. "She had arrived at the office before she realized it was Sunday". "I ran to my car when I noticed my wife had left already". Past continuous [was/were] + [present participle] Past continuous shows an ongoing action in the past, especially if the action was interrupted by another action. It's also used for actions that occurred in the past but not in the present. It's usually used with adverbs like 'always' or adverb phrases like 'all the time'. "My husband was snoring when his daughter woke him up". Past perfect continuous [had] + [been] + [present participle] The past perfect continuous tense is used just like the past perfect tense, except it describes ongoing actions that happened in the past instead of a one-time occurence. It's often used with the words 'when', 'until', and 'before' to connect it to another past action. "Before he got the flu, he had been taking the bus to work". "I had been eating hot dogs all week until I ran out". FUTURE TENSES Simple future Simple future is for actions that have not happened yet but will later. Place the modifying verb 'will' before the root form of the main verb. "She will be on time for her appointment". "I will not go to the dentist this week". Future perfect [will] + [have] + [past participle] Future perfect shows an action that will be completed in the future by a specified time. Because it depends on another time, the future perfect is often used with words like 'by', 'before', 'at', or 'when'. "By the time you leave, I will have washed the dishes". "She will have cleaned her room before I get home". Future continuous [will] + [be] + [present participle] Future continuous tense is for future actions happening over a period of time, especially when a specific time is mentioned. The future continuous tense also shows more certainty and likelihood than the simple future. "By this time tomorrow, I will be flying to Toronto". "I will be watching the game from seven until ten p.m." Future perfect continuous [will] + [have] + [been] + [present participle] Future perfect continuous depicts future ongoing actions that continue up until a certain point. Like the future perfect and future continuous, it's used with a specified time. "By the time I arrive, my sister will have been waiting for several hours". "I will have been driving for over two days". Here is an illustration showing all twelve tenses, with the example of petting a cat:
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