By Vahid Alaghehband
English is usually taught with 12 verb tenses: present, past and future, each in four forms (simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous). The ones you'll use most in everyday conversation are the present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect and the future with will or going to.
Here's the full chart for study or quick review before a test. Each tense links to its guide with explanations and exercises when we have one in our English grammar by level.
How many tenses are there in English?
The usual answer is 12: three time frames (present, past and future) combined with four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous). Many grammars point out that, strictly speaking, English only marks present and past on the verb and expresses the future with auxiliaries such as will or with going to, which is why you'll see lists with different numbers.
English verb tenses chart
| Tense | Structure | Example | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present simple | I work / she works | She works in Quito. | Habits, routines and facts. |
| Present continuous | am / is / are + -ing | I'm working right now. | Something happening now, or a near plan. |
| Present perfect | have / has + past participle | I have visited Cuenca twice. | Experiences and past actions linked to now. |
| Present perfect continuous | have / has been + -ing | I have been studying for two hours. | How long something has been going on. |
| Past simple | verb + -ed / irregular form | We watched a movie last night. | A finished action at a past time. |
| Past continuous | was / were + -ing | I was cooking when you called. | An action in progress in the past, often interrupted. |
| Past perfect | had + past participle | The bus had left when I arrived. | An action before another past action. |
| Past perfect continuous | had been + -ing | She had been waiting for an hour. | How long something went on before a past moment. |
| Future simple (will) | will + base verb | I'll call you tomorrow. | Instant decisions, promises and predictions. |
| Future continuous | will be + -ing | This time tomorrow, I'll be flying. | An action in progress at a future time. |
| Future perfect | will have + past participle | I'll have finished by Friday. | Something finished before a future time. |
| Future perfect continuous | will have been + -ing | In June, I'll have been working here for a year. | How long something will have gone on by a future time. |
Examples written by HelloVozi. The past participle is the third form of the verb: worked, gone, written. For irregular verbs, see the list of irregular verbs.
Simple, continuous and perfect: the idea behind each form
- Simple: you see the action as a whole or as a fact. I work. I worked. I'll work.
- Continuous (be + -ing): you see the action in progress at a moment. I'm working. I was working.
- Perfect (have + past participle): you look back from a moment. I have worked. I had worked.
- Perfect continuous (have been + -ing): you look back and focus on duration. I have been working since eight.
How to make negatives and questions
Negatives and questions need an auxiliary: do/does/did in the present and past simple, and the tense's own auxiliary in the others (be, have, will). Put not after the auxiliary, and put the auxiliary before the subject in questions.
| Tense | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | She doesn't work. | Does she work? |
| Past simple | She didn't work. | Did she work? |
| Continuous tenses | She isn't working. | Is she working? |
| Perfect tenses | She hasn't worked. | Has she worked? |
| Future with will | She won't work. | Will she work? |
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the -s: She work ✗ → She works ✓.
- Using the past after did: Did you went? ✗ → Did you go? ✓.
- Present instead of present perfect for duration: I live here for two years ✗ → I've lived here for two years ✓.
- Present perfect with a finished time: I have seen him yesterday ✗ → I saw him yesterday ✓.
- Continuous with state verbs: I'm knowing ✗ → I know ✓.
Exercises with answers
- She ___ (live) in Guayaquil since 2020.
- Look! It ___ (rain).
- We ___ (visit) Baños last summer.
- I ___ (cook) when the lights went out.
- Don't worry, I ___ (help) you with the homework.
- When we arrived, the movie ___ (already / start).
Answers: 1. has lived · 2. is raining · 3. visited · 4. was cooking · 5. will help (I'll help) · 6. had already started.
Practice the tenses by speaking
With Vozi Grammar you practice each tense by level, with explanations, examples and conversation by voice or text, and you get corrections of your grammar mistakes at the end.
Explore Vozi Grammar →Common questions: do or does, was or were and in, on, at.
Next step: if you don't know your level, take the English level test (about 15 minutes, with instant results). To keep working on this topic, see Vozi Grammar's English grammar exercises by level.
Frequently asked questions
How many tenses are there in English?
Usually 12 are taught: present, past and future, each in simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous form. Some grammars count fewer because the future is formed with auxiliaries.
What are the most common English tenses?
In everyday conversation: present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect and the future with will or going to. With those five you can talk about almost anything.
What is the structure of English tenses?
Simple: the verb alone (with -s in the third person present, or in the past form). Continuous: be + verb-ing. Perfect: have + past participle. Perfect continuous: have been + verb-ing. The auxiliary changes with the time: am/is/are, was/were, will.
What's the difference between the past simple and the present perfect?
The past simple talks about something finished at a specific past time (I saw him yesterday). The present perfect links the past to now or talks about experiences without saying when (I have seen that movie).
How do you form the future in English?
Use will + verb for instant decisions, promises and predictions (I'll help you), and be going to + verb for plans you've already made (I'm going to travel in December). The present continuous also works for arranged plans.
