Grammar › Verb Tenses
English Verb Tenses
English builds its 12 tenses from three times and four aspects:
- Simple — a fact or a completed action (I work).
- Continuous — an action in progress (I am working).
- Perfect — a link to an earlier point (I have worked).
- Perfect continuous — how long, up to a point (I have been working).
Combine the three times with the four aspects and you get all 12 tenses below.
Present tenses
| Tense | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Facts, habits and routines | I work here. |
| Present Continuous | Actions happening around now | I'm working now. |
| Present Perfect | Past actions linked to now | I've worked here for years. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | How long, up to now | I've been working all day. |
Past tenses
| Tense | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | Finished actions at a finished time | I worked yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | An action in progress in the past | I was working at six. |
| Past Perfect | An action before another past action | I had worked before she called. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | How long, before a past point | I had been working for hours. |
Future tenses
| Tense | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Future Simple (will) | Predictions and instant decisions | I'll work tomorrow. |
| Future Continuous | An action in progress in the future | I'll be working at six. |
| Future Perfect | Finished by a point in the future | I'll have worked by then. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | How long, by a future point | I'll have been working for a year. |
How the system works
There are only three times (present, past, future) and four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). Every English tense is one time combined with one aspect — 3 × 4 = 12. Once you can see the pattern, the names stop being scary: past + continuous = past continuous, future + perfect = future perfect, and so on.
Common confusions
Most tense mistakes come from a handful of contrasts. Start with these:
- Present perfect vs past simple — finished time, or a link to now?
- Present simple vs present continuous — a habit, or something happening now?
- Simple vs continuous — a fact, or an action in progress?
Related grammar points
- Irregular verbs — the three forms of the most common ones.
- Stative verbs — why some verbs avoid the continuous.
- Since vs for — how to say how long.
- Used to / would — past habits and states.
- Used to / be used to / get used to — past habit vs being accustomed.
- Already, yet, just & still — the present perfect adverbs.
- Been vs gone — there and back, or still away?
- Present continuous for the future — arrangements.
- Time expressions — the words that signal each tense.
📄 Free cheat sheet
All 12 tenses on one printable page — form, example and use, colour-coded by present, past and future.
Frequently asked questions
How many tenses are there in English?
English has 12 tenses: three times (present, past and future), each in four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous).
Which English tense should I learn first?
Start with the present simple and past simple — they cover most everyday communication — then add the present continuous and present perfect.
What is the difference between simple and continuous tenses?
Simple tenses state a fact or a completed action (I work). Continuous tenses stress that an action is in progress (I am working).
Are the present perfect and past simple the same?
No. The past simple is for finished time (I saw him yesterday); the present perfect links the past to now (I have seen that film).