Understanding Tenses in English: Structures and Examples

Tenses in English are important knowledge that lays the groundwork for learning this language. Scroll down to study the basis of verb tenses in English with Thao & Co.!

Tenses in English: How Many Are There?

Every English learner needs to understand tenses and how to use them. Typically, tenses in English are categorized into three main time frames: past, present, and future.

Tenses help convey when an action takes place and what aspect of the action you want to emphasize, whether it’s the result, the process, or its completion.

Also read: English alphabet

English Tense Charts and Examples

To get a better idea of the basic tenses in English, check out the chart below. It includes structures and examples for each tense. For your convenience, Thao & Co. also provides a free downloadable PDF summarizing key English tenses.

Present tenses

The present tenses in English include:

1. • Present simple
2. • Present continuous
3. • Present perfect
4. • Present perfect continuous

You’ll find the structures for affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms below.

Past tenses

Similar to the present tenses, the past tenses include:

Future tenses

Likewise, the future tenses are as follows:

🔴 Download the PDF guide “Overview of tenses in English” for easy reference and revision later.

Main Functions of Tenses in English

As mentioned, English has a range of commonly used tenses that fall under three main timeframes: present, past, and future. Each tense serves a specific purpose and helps pinpoint when an action takes place.

Present simple

Sentences in the present simple tense indicate:

1. • Habits, preferences, or opinions
2. • General truths or facts
3. • Fixed schedules and plans (train timetables, flight schedules, etc.)

Present continuous

The purposes of the present continuous are to announce:

1. • Actions happening at the time of speaking
2. • Upcoming plans in the near future
3. • Temporary situations or events
4. • Complaints about repeated actions that are annoying (often used with adverbs like always, continually, constantly)

Present perfect

We use the present perfect tense to talk about:

1. • Past actions with results seen at present
2. • Actions that started in the past and have continued up to the present
3. • Recent events

Present perfect continuous

The present perfect continuous tense can demonstrate:

1. • Ongoing events that began at a time in the past and continue up to now
2. • Actions happening at present that may extend into the future

Past simple

The past simple is often used to describe:

1. • Actions that happened and ended in the past
2. • Past habits, facts, or milestones
3. • In the second conditional sentence: hypothetical situations that are impossible at present

Past continuous

We use the past continuous when describing the following actions:

1. • Actions happening at a specific moment in the past
2. • Temporary situations or actions in the past
3. • Two past actions happening simultaneously
4. • A past action that were in progress when another action (past simple) interrupted it
5. • Complaints about repeated annoying actions in the past (used with adverbs such as always, continually, and constantly)

Past perfect

The past perfect tense is used to demonstrate:

1. • A past action that happened before another action
2. • An action that happened before a particular point of time in the past
3. • In the third conditional sentence: hypothetical events that didn’t happen in the past

Past perfect continuous

The past perfect continuous refers to:

1. • Actions that were happening before another action in the past
2. • Actions that started before a specific point in the past and were in constant progress until that time

Future simple

The uses of the future simple tense are to announce:

1. • Actions that will happen in the future
2. • Spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking
3. • Threats, promises, commands, or suggestions
4. • Predictions about future events with a degree of uncertainty

Future continuous

We use the future continuous to talk about actions as follows:

1. • Activities that will be in progress during a particular time in the future, often planned beforehand
2. • A future action that will be interrupted by another

Future perfect

The future perfect tense is used to talk about:

1. • Future actions that will complete before another action or a particular future time

Future perfect continuous

When we use the future perfect continuous, we:

1. • Describe an action that will have been happening for a period of time before a future moment
2. • Emphasize the duration of that action in the future

Tips to recognize tenses in English

We can easily and accurately differentiate English tenses from one another by the particular indicators below.

Present simple

Recognizing present tenses will be much easier by considering the following key signals:

1. • Present simple: often, always, usually, frequently, seldom, rarely, constantly, sometimes, occasionally, every day/night/week (frequency adverbs).
2. • Present continuous: now, at the moment, at present, at + specified time, etc. (indicating the present time). Besides, notice the imperative clues in a conversation, such as look, listen, and keep silent, which often accompany this tense.
3. • Present perfect: recently, lately, already, before, yet, never, ever, since, for, so far = until now = up to now, and more.
4. • Present perfect continuous: since, for, all day, all week, all month, etc.

Past tenses

Take into account the indicators as follows:

1. • Past simple: ago, in, yesterday, last night/month, etc.
2. • Past continuous: at this time, last day/night/month, when/while/as, from… to…
3. • Past perfect: by the time, prior to that time, as soon as, when, before, after, until then, etc.
4. • Past perfect continuous: at this time, last night, when/while/as, from… to…

Future tenses

To identify future tenses, simply take notice of:

1. • Future simple: tomorrow, next week/month/year, in + period of time, etc.
2. • Future continuous: at this time, at this moment, at + specific point, next year/week/time, in the future, soon, etc.
3. • Future perfect: by the time, by/before/at the end of + point of time in the future.
4. • Future perfect continuous: by the time, by then, for + period of time, by/before + point of time.

Tenses in English: 5 powerful tips to optimize your learning

If you want to learn verb tenses in English more effectively, you should apply the right learning method. Here are some helpful tips to speed up the learning process:

1. • Divide the tenses into three basic categories: present, past, and future tenses. Then study them by group. This way, you can compare and memorize the tenses according to the features in common.
2. • Focus on the three main factors: functions, structures, and indicators. These are what you need to learn to distinguish between tenses and use them confidently.
3. • Make a table or mind map: Organizing information visually makes it easier to absorb and recall important concepts.
4. • Learn through real-life examples: Seeing how tenses are used in real contexts helps reinforce their meaning and correct usage.
5. • Set dedicated study time: Allocate time to focus on each tense group. Once you’re confident with each one, review all the tenses together to strengthen your overall understanding.