What are Verb Tenses & How to Use them correctly?

Are you wondering what the verb tenses in English are and how to use them correctly?

Verb tenses are used to describe things or actions at different times. Verb tenses are divided into three main categories: past, present, and future tenses. Each of them is further subdivided into four different aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous) to explain things in English correctly.

In this article, you will learn verb tenses, their types, and how to use them to construct sentences correctly. Also, you will find examples of sentences of each tense to further help you understand the usage of verb tenses in Engish grammar.

What are Verb Tenses in English grammar?

Verb tenses are categories to describe things with a time reference. There are three main tenses: Present, Past, and Future. We use different forms of verbs to talk in the present, past, and future tenses. The first form of the verb is called the base form, the second form is the past form, and the third form is the past participle.

These main tenses are further categorized into four sub-categories; simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. 

The main object of verb tenses is to describe things more clearly concerning time.

Examples:

• He works at a restaurant. 
• He has been applying for a job. 
• She has been cooking food all day long. 

Look at the following examples in which we describe one thing in different verb tenses.

• He works.
• He worked.
• He will work.
• He is working.
• He was working.
• He will be working.
• He has worked.
• He had worked.
• He will have worked.
• He has been working.
• He had been working.
• He will have been working.

You may have notices that in each sentence, we use variation of verb forms. These verbs are used to explain things or actions in different verb tenses.

Why You Need to Learn Verb Tenses

Verb tenses allow us to explain things with respect to time reference. Also, verb tenses are extremely important to communicate well in English language. Whether it is writing, reading, speaking or listening, if you know verb tenses, you will understand better and convey your thought more effectively and professionally.

Use of Verb Tenses In the English Language

Why we use future continous tense in English? 

The future continuous tense is used to describe things or actions that will occur in near future. or there is a probability of occurring of an action in future.

Types of Verb Tenses

The are 3 basic verb tenses in the English language.

• Present 
• Past 
• Future

Present, past, and future tenses are then further subdivided into following four sub-tenses.

• Simple
• Continuous
• Perfect
• Perfect Continuous

Present Tenses

In English grammar, there are four present verb tenses:

1. Present Simple Tense
2. Present Continuous Tense
3. Present Perfect Tense
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Present

Simple present which is also know as present indefinite is a verb tense which is used to describe individual actions or habitual actions. 

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. in this case you add the sufficx -s. 

If the verb ends in a consonant and y (and the subject is third person singular), drop the y and add -ies.

Use the simple present to describe a general truth or a habitual action. This tense indicates that the statement is generally true in the past, present, and future.

• The hospital admits patients whether or not they have proof of insurance.
• Today I feel like a million bucks!
• My brother carries the groceries while my sister stays on the couch.

2. Present Continous Tense

am/is/are + present participle

Use the present continuous to show an action happening right now or in the near future. 

• I am reading the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for the fifth time!
• We are eating pizza tonight.

Present continuous tense also known as progressive tense is used when something is happening. The thing to remember in this tense is that the action in the sentence shows continuity. For instance, I am working. This sentence shows that I doing some work and it is not finished yet. Instead, it shows that I am still doing it.

How to make positive sentences in the present continuous tense?

When making sentences in present continuous tense, we use the subject at the start, then use is/are/am + first form of the verb with ing. Verb+ing is also known as a gerund.

3. Present Perfect

Subject + has/have + past participle + object.

Present perfect is a verb tense that is used to describe an ongoing action started in the past that is not yet complete.

• an ongoing action started int he past that is not yet complete
• the same action completed multiple times int he past and likely to be completed again.
• an action completed very recently (usually with just or now)
• an uncompleted action that is expect to be finished ( in the negative)

Additionally, the present perfect can be used to emphasize the significance of a completed action, especially one that happened over time.

Examples 

• We have tricked him every April Fool’s Day since we were kids.
• My niece has grown so much this year!

4. Present Perfect Continuous

Present perfect continuous tense shows an ongoing action in the present that began in the past. It is often used to emphasize the length of time.

Structural Formula of Present Perfect Continuous

have/has + been + present participle

Usage

have/has + been + present participle

Examples:

• We have been waiting for over an hour!
• The team has been practicing nonstop for the tournament.

Past Tenes in English

Past tense is further subdivided in to four sub tenses in English.

1. Past Simple Tense
2. Past Continuous Tense
3. Past Perfect Tense
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

1.  Simple Past

Simple past is a verb tense that shows an action that completed in the past, with no extra emphasis.

Usage

We use the simple past to show actions completed in the past, with no extra emphasis.

For regular verbs, you form the simple past tense by adding the suffix -ed to the end of the verb (or just -d if the past tense verb already ends in an e).

Be careful of irregular past tense verbs, however. These don’t follow the normal rules and use their own unique forms for the past tense. For examples the past tense of the irregular ver go is went.

Past simple formula

Subject + past participle + object

Examples:

• I pickep up the glass, but it dropped from my hand. 
• This morning I went to the store, but I forgot the milk.

• He works at a store.
• She cooks food for dinner.
• It runs fast.
• They play soccer.
• I study hard to pass the examination.
• We participate in the competition.
• We do not watch TV.
• Do you sleep early at night?
• What do you do for a living?
• Why do they water plants?
• Where does she live?
• How do I drive the car?

2. Past Continuous

Past continuous tense is a verb tense that shows an action that began in the past and ended in the past.

Usage:

Use the past continuous to show an ongoing action in the past, especially if the action was interrupted by another action. It’s also used for habitual 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.

Past Continous Tense Formula

Subject + was/were + present participle + object.

Examples:

• My dog was whimpering in his sleep when the TV woke him up.
• As kids, my friends and I were always getting into trouble.

• He works at a store.
• She cooks food for dinner.
• It runs fast.
• They play soccer.
• I study hard to pass the examination.
• We participate in the competition.
• We do not watch TV.
• Do you sleep early at night?
• What do you do for a living?
• Why do they water plants?
• Where does she live?
• How do I drive the car?

3. Past Perfect

What if you’re talking about two different actions in the past and want to show that one happened before the other? The past perfect, also known as the pluperfect, shows that one past action happened earlier than another one.

The past perfect tense shows that one past action happened earlier than another one.  We use [had + participle] in the past perfect tense. Take a look at the following examples:

Past Perfect Formula 

Subject + had + past participle + object.

Examples:

• 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.

4. Past Perfect Continuous

Subject + had been + present participle.

Past perfect tense describes ongoing actions that happened in the past. It is often used with the words when, until, and before to connect it to another past action. Consider the following examples of past perfect continuous tense.

Examples

• Before he got his first job as a writer, he had been working as a proofreader.
• I had been living on my friend’s courch for a year until they kicked me out.

Future Tenses in English

Future tense is further divided into four sub tenses.

1. Future Simple Tense
2. Future Continuous Tense
3. Future Perfect Tense
4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Future

Use the simple future for actions that have not happened yet but will later. To form the simple suture, just place the modal verb will before the root form of the main verb. (Note that if the action will happen in the near future, you can use the present continuous instead.)

Formula

Subject + will + present participle

Usage

Use the simple future for actions that have not happened yet but will later. To form the simple suture, just place the modal verb will before the root form of the main verb. (Note that if the action will happen in the near future, you can use the present continuous instead.)

Examples:

• She will be president one day.
• I will not go to the wedding without a date!

2. Future Continuous

Future continuous tense shows an action will start in the future and continue in the future.

Future Continuous Tense Formula 

Subject + will be + present participle.

Usage

Use the future continuous tense 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.

Examples for Future Continuous tense

• By this time tomorrow, I will be drinking margaritas on the beach.
• We will be attending a meeting from noon until 3 p.m.

3. Future Perfect

The future perfect shows an action that will be completed in the future by a specified time. Becuase it depends on another time, the future perfect is often used with words like by, before, at, or when.

Usage

The future perfect shows an action that will be completed in the future by a specified time. Becuase it depends on another time, the future perfect is often used with words like by, before, at, or when.

Future Perfect Tense Formula

Subject + will have + past participle + object.

Examples of Future Perfect Tense

• By the time you read this, I will have already left.
• She will have eaten lunch before her sister even wakes up.

4. Future Perfect Continuous

The future perfect continous depicts future ongoing actions that continue up until a certain point. Like the future perfect continuous, it is used with a specified time. 

Future Perfect Continuous Formula

will have been + present participle

Examples:

• In ten minutes, my parents will have been waiting in traffic for four hours.
• I will have been eating healthy for a whole year by September.

Final Thoughts

In English, present, past, and future are the main verb tenses that are further subdivided into present, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. 

The primary goal of using tenses in English is to describe actions with respect to time. 

Each tense has its own structural formula which is used to construct different types of sentences. 

Tenses allow us to make sentences correct according to grammar.

Verb Tenses FAQs

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about verb tenses. 

What are verb tenses?

Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place: in the past, present, or future. The phrase verb tense is also used for grammatical aspects, which show how long an action occurs.

What are the different types of verb tenses?

The three main verb tenses are the past, present, and future, but there are also four grammatical aspects: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. When you combine the three time periods with the four aspects, you get twelve unique verb tenses.

What are some examples of the different verb tenses?

The simple tenses show actions happening at different times, while the perfect tenses show completed actions that related to different time periods. The continuous tenses are for ongoing actions that take a while to complete. The perfect continuous tenses combine the perfect and continuous tenses to describe ongoing actions that happen over a period of time.

Why should you learn verb tenses in English?

I hope this article helped you learn verb tenses, their types, and usage in English.

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