The

Tenses of English

Past

Simple
past tense verb
1. completed action in the past (the time
the action happened is often stated or
known)
He went to New York last year.
2. actions taking place one after another
(e.g. the main events of a narrative)
After they stole the car, they drove away quickly.
now

INFINITIVE (+ s for he/she/it)

1. permanent or long-term situations
(always true/false)
I am a teacher.
2. habits / routines or regular events
She plays tennis every Saturday.

now

Future

was/were + ~ing
1. action that was in progress at a certain
point in the past
It was raining at 2 oclock yesterday.
2. (longer) action in the past that was
interrupted by another (shorter) action
I was watching TV when the power went off.

now

Perfect Simple

There are lots of ways to talk about the future in

English. For some of the most common see
Talking about the future below.

Perfect Continuous

had + PP
1. action which happened before another past action or
time
When we arrived at the station, the train had left.

now

X
Present

Continuous

had + been + ~ing

1. action happening over a period of time up to a specific
time/event in the past
He saw when he woke up that it had been raining all night.
2. emphasises the activity, the duration or its effect on
us, not the completed action
They had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally
arrived.
now

X

is/are/am + ~ing
1. action taking place now or around now
A: Whats she doing?
B: Shes taking a shower.
2. action / situation taking place only for a
limited period of time (temporary)
Normally I live in Sydney, but this week Im
staying in Melbourne.
now

will + be + ~ing
1. action that will be happening at a certain
point in the future
At 7pm tomorrow, Ill be watching the football.
2. action that will happen in the usual
course of events, without a special plan
Will you be coming past the shops on your way
home?
now


X

has/have + PP
1. past actions in a time period that is unfinished
Ive ridden an elephant. (in my life which is unfinished)
2. action started / happened in the past but is still
relevant or important now
Hes broken his leg. (and now he cant run)
3. action that continues up to the present (or ended
recently)
Ive lived in this house for 10 years. (and I still live here)
4. focuses on the result, not the action
Ive painted the room. (finished painting)

now


X

will + have + PP
1. action which will be completed by a certain point in
the future
By the time they reach Melbourne, they will have driven more
than 5000km.

now

has/have + been + ~ing

1. past actions in a time period that is unfinished
Hes been studying English since he was 15 years old.
2. more temporary activities
Ive been reading a good book.
3. recent repeated activity
Your wife has been phoning all morning.
4. focuses on the action and duration (how long), not the
result
A: Why are you so dirty? B: Ive been cleaning the
backyard.(might be finished or might not be finished)

now
X
will + have + been + ~ing
1. talking about how long an action will have been in
progress at a certain point in the future
By the next Olympics, he will have been training for 3 years.

now
X

Talking about the future

will +INF
be going to +INF
1. spontaneous decision (decision made at the time
1. present intentions for the future (already
of speaking)
decided)
A: Jeffs been taken to hospital.
Im going to get married one day.
B: Oh, Ill go and visit him after work.
2. prediction made based on present evidence
2. prediction based on own belief or prior experience Brazil are playing really well this half. I think theyre
Brazil always win. Theyll probably win this game too.
going to win.

Present Continuous
1. action arranged for the future
(already decided and organised)
Im getting married in July next year in
Hawaii.

Present Simple
1. regular timetabled events
The train to Newcastle leaves at 3 oclock.
2. after future conjunctions (if, in case,
before, unless, after, when, as soon as
etc.)
When I get home, Ill call you.

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Other phrases
be likely to + INF; be planning to
+ INF; hope to + INF; hope
that; would like to + INF; want
to + INF; bet + SUBJECT + future;
be certain to + INF; theres a
good chance that

Conditionals
Zero conditional
if + present, present (OR if + past, past)
facts that are always true
If water is 100C, it boils.
past habits
If I was a bit sick, my grandmother always let me stay
home from school.

1st conditional
if + present, future
Real future possibility
If the weather is nice next weekend, well go to the beach.

2nd Conditional
if + past, would/could/might + INF
Hypothetical (imaginary) situations in the present
or future.
If I had $1 billion, I would give a lot of money to charity.
If I were you, I wouldnt go out with him.
She could be a professional basketball player if she was
taller.

3rd conditional
if + past perfect, would/could/might + have + PP
Hypothetical (imaginary) situations in the past
If I had studied harder, I might have passed the exam last
week.
She wouldnt have met him if she hadnt travelled to New
Zealand.
I could have helped him if hed asked me.

Notes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

This table is an overview of the English tenses and should be used after you have already studied most of the tenses. Look at grammar books for details of when and how to use each tense.
PP = Past Participle
INF = Infinitive verb (sometimes called base form)
State verbs (seem, know, understand etc.) are not usually used in continuous tenses. (e.g. Ive been knowing him for three years. Ive known him for three years.)
Some grammar books say progressive instead of continuous.

Source: James Heath www.eltideas.com. Adapted from First Certificate Expert (2008: Pearson Longman) and New Cutting Edge Upper Intermediate (2008: Pearson Longman).

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