Tenses can be confusing! I’ve simplified the main tenses, with examples of their Affirmative, Negative and Question forms, in the chart below.

In English, the basic tenses are the past, the present and the future. The tenses tell us when an action or state happened. Simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous are all aspects. Aspects tell us how an action or state extends over time. Was the action repeated regularly? Has this action finished? Did this action happen at the same time as another action? These are some questions that the “aspect” answers.

English tense chart, tense types, definition, tense table. Here is a chart that shows the structure for each tense in english. I play basketball every week. The sentence pattern used in this chart is: Subject + main verb + object. Here is a chart that. At the moment, just, just now, listen!, look!, now, right now. English Active Tenses listed in a table. Infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs) We sometimes use Continuous instead of Progressive. English Active Tenses listed in a table. Infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs) We sometimes use Continuous instead of Progressive.

When a student tells me that he/she has a problem with tenses, most of the time the problem is actually with the aspects. It is not difficult to decide between the past, present and future, even for most students with native languages that are generally tenseless. But in order to weave a more precise and interesting story or conversation we must consider the aspect portion of the tense.

In my posts I hope to look at the aspects in more depth and provide examples that can be used in everyday English. For now, please see the summarised chart I created below. I have used the verb “to cook’, but you can replace this with any other verb you like. However, remember that some verbs are irregular.

A summary chart of the English tenses (with examples):

Please note, the explanations and writing throughout my posts are in British English (BrE). “Continuous” in this chart is the same as Progressive and “Perfect Continuous” is the same as Perfect Progressive.

Chart Of English Tenses In Spanish

So I hope this chart is useful! I’ve printed it out for some of my students so that they can use it as a guide if they get a bit muddled up with their tenses. Feel free to do the same.

List of tenses in this chart:

Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous.

Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous.

Future Simple, Future Continuous, Future Perfect, Future Perfect Continuous.

Introduction

Verb tenses show us when an action takes place: in the present, past or future. Each of the three main tenses has a progressive, perfect and perfect progressiveaspect which give us more information about the time, progression or completion of an action.

This table of tenses in English grammar provides an overview of the 12 different verb tenses with examples in the positive, negative and interrogative or question form. You will also find tips on the usage of each tense and common signal words to help you recognise the tenses. For a detailed lesson including exercises, click on the name of the tense.

Chart Of Tenses In English Grammar With Examples

Tense	positive/negative/question	Usage	Signal Words
Simple Present Present	P: He speaks. N: He does not speak. Q: Does he speak?	repeated/regular action in the present general validity actions happening one after the other confirmed future actions (time table, schedule)	always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually
Present Progressive Apple internal ios apps. Present Continuous	P: He is speaking. N: He is not speaking. Q: Is he speaking?	action currently taking place action limited to a particular timeframe already planned or agreed-upon future action	at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now
Simple Past Preterite	P: He spoke. N: He did not speak. Q: Did he speak?	a single or repeated action in the past actions happening one after the other in the past a new action that interrupts an action that was already taking place	yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
Past Progressive Preterite Continuous Past Continuous	P: He was speaking. N: He was not speaking. Q: Was he speaking?	emphasis on the process of an action taking place in the past multiple actions taking place at the same time an action that was taking place when interrupted by a new action	while, as long as
Present Perfect Perfect	P: He has spoken. N: He has not spoken. Q: Has he spoken?	the result is emphasised action that lasts to the present moment action that has just been completed completed action with influence on the present an action that has never/once/more than once taken place up to the time of speaking	already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now
Present Perfect Progressive Perfect Continuous	P: He has been speaking. N: He has not been speaking. Q: Has he been speaking?	the action is emphasised (not the result) action that has lasted until the present time completed action with influence on the present	all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week
Past Perfect Pluperfect Past Anterior	P: He had spoken. N: He had not spoken. Q: Had he spoken?	action taking place before a certain time in the past sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive emphasises only the fact that something took place before a certain point in the past	already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day
Past Perfect Progressive Pluperfect Continuous Past Anterior Continuous	P: He had been speaking. N: He had not been speaking. Q: Had he been speaking?	action before a certain point in the past sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple emphasises the action or length of the action	for, since, the whole day, all day
Future (will)	P: He will speak. N: He will not speak. Q: Will he speak?	events in the future that cannot be influenced spontaneous decision suppositions about the future	in a year, next …, tomorrow, first conditional sentences (If you ask her, she will help you.), supposition: I think, probably, perhaps
Future (going to)	P: He is going to speak. N: He is not going to speak. Q: Is he going to speak?	pre-existing intention regarding the future logical conclusion regarding the future	in one year, next week, tomorrow
Future Progressive Future Continuous	P: He will be speaking. N: He will not be speaking. Q: Will he be speaking?	action that will be taking place at a certain point in the future certain or obvious events	in one ye