GuidesLevel B12 min read
English tenses: all of them in one overview
English combines three times (present, past, future) with four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous) to make 12 tense forms. The pattern, use, and an example for each.
The 12 English tense forms come from combining three times (present, past, future) with four aspects: simple (general or completed), continuous (in progress), perfect (completed before a point), and perfect continuous (lasting up to a point). Knowing this system lets you recognise a new tense from its pattern instead of memorising it.
Present
Present simple: “I work.” (habit, general truth). Present continuous: “I am working.” (now). Present perfect: “I have worked here since 2020.” (link from past to now). Present perfect continuous: “I have been working all day.” (an action lasting until now).
Past
Past simple: “I worked yesterday.” (a finished event). Past continuous: “I was working when you called.” (in progress at a past moment). Past perfect: “I had finished before you arrived.” (before another past event). Past perfect continuous: “I had been working for hours.” (lasting up to a past moment).
Future
Future simple: “I will work tomorrow.” Future continuous: “I will be working at ten.” (in progress at a future moment). Future perfect: “I will have finished by Friday.” (completed before a future point). Future perfect continuous: “By June, I will have been working here for a year.” “Going to” is also used for plans: “I'm going to work from home.”
Which ones to learn first?
Most everyday speech uses a few tenses: present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, and will or going to for the future. The other tenses should be recognised when reading, but there is no need to use them all at once at the start.
A short exercise
Choose your own verb instead of “work” (for example “study” or “read”) and write one sentence about yourself for each of the 12 tenses. Then note next to each sentence which aspect it uses (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous).
To keep going, see Present simple or present continuous? The difference and Present perfect or past simple? The difference.
Frequently asked questions
How many tenses does English have? Grammar books count only present and past as tenses; the forms built with the aspects are usually taught as 12 tenses.
Is “will” the future tense? “Will” is a modal verb and one of several ways to talk about the future; “going to” is used for plans and the present continuous for arrangements.
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