Verb Tenses

Verb Tense

An action expressed in the verb can take place in three different times:

Past Present Future In each time, the action can be of three

different types:

Simple Progressive Perfect

The three times together with the three types are called TENSES.

Table of Tenses

Past Present Future

Simple I played the guitar for 3 hours yesterday.

I play guitar in a band.

I will play next weekend at a music festival.

Progressive II was playing daily when I was in college.

I am playing less frequently these days.

I will be playing more frequently in the future.

Perfect I had played for five years before I joined a band.

I have played in my current band for 15 years.

I will have played in over 100 concerts by the end of the year.

Regular verbs have reliable forms.

InfinitiveSimple Present

Simple Past

Past Participle

Present Participle

to laugh laugh(s) laughed laughed laughing

to start start(s) started started starting

to travel travel(s) traveled traveled traveling

Or to fish, fish(es), fished, fished, fishing!

Or to fish, fish(es), fished, fished, fishing!

Irregular verbs, however, have no consistent patterns.

InfinitiveSimple Present

Simple Past

Past Participle

Present Participle

to drive drive(s) drove driven driving

to think think(s) thought thought thinking

to drink drink(s) drank drunk drinking

to swim swim(s) swam swum swimming

For example, to catch, catch(es), caught, caught, catching!

For example, to catch, catch(es), caught, caught, catching!

Past SimpleThe action already happened.

Use the past participle.

Ex: My brother and I played chess.

Ex: I gave my dad a tie for his birthday.

Ex: The garden was planted last spring.

Present SimpleThe action is taking place in the present or takes place regularly.Use the present form of the verb by itself.

I walk to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I usually drink chai tea with my afternoon snack.

Future SimpleThe action is going to happen.

Use will or shall with the present tense of the verb.

Ex: Dana will organize a talent show at

her school.

Ex: Dr. Jones shall turn in the book fair

money.

Progressive Tenses The progressive tense describes an

action that is continuing or ongoing. All progressive tenses use a form of the

verb TO BE (am, is, are, was, were, will be) with the present participle of the verb (ending in “–ing”)

Examples: I am watching you. You are moving too slowly. They will be riding their bikes to school from now on.

Perfect Tenses

There are three perfect tenses: past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect.

Perfect means COMPLETED. Perfect tenses describe an action that has already taken place or has been completed.

ALL three perfect tenses use the past participle of the verb and the helping verbs have, has, had, or will have.

Perfect Tenses

The present perfect is formed with has or have and the past participle.

I have watched three seasons of Downton Abbey.

The present perfect stresses the duration of an event that has happened and will likely continue to happen. It is different from the simple present.

I watch Downton Abbey.

Past Perfect Tense When two events happened in the past,

the past perfect tense describes the event that happened first.

It is formed with the past participle and the helping verb “had.”

I had waited for one hour before my ride finally arrived.

We had eaten five helpings of wedding cake by the time they cleared the table.

Future Perfect Tense When TWO events will happen in the

future, the future perfect tense describes the event that will occur first.

It is formed with the past participle and the verb “will have” or “shall have.”

By the time we finish the book, the movie will have left the theaters.

He will have lost five pounds by the time his fast ends.

Perfect Tenses: Play

Present Perfect have played

has played

Past Perfect had played

Future Perfect will have played

shall have played