Present simple

tense

past

future

Present simple

A verb in simple action.

Describes the action in a
general sense. Something
you do every day.

Present simple

I cook my breakfast every

morning.
I swim at the swimming pool.
I read books at the library.
I walk through the park on my
way to school.
I wash my face with water and
soap.

Past simple tense

Present

past

future

Past simple tense

An action that is in the

past and is complete. A
simple general action.
The verb is in the past
tense.

Past simple

I cooked my breakfast every

morning.
I swam at the swimming pool.
I read books at the library.
I walked through the park on
my way to school.
I washed my face with water
and soap.

Future simple tense

present

Past

future

Future Simple

An action that is going to

happen in the future.
Uses the verb will or
is going forms.

Future simple

I will cook my breakfast every

morning.
I am going to read books at the
library.
I will walk through the park on
my way to school.
I will wash my face with water
and soap.

Present Continuous tense

pas
t

past

future

Present Continuous tense

Action is in progress
and the verb has an
ing form
.

Present Continuous tense

I am cooking my breakfast.
I am swimming at the swimming
pool.
I am reading books at the library.
I am walking through the park on
my way to school.
I am washing my face with water
and soap.

Past continuous tense

present
pas
t

past

future

Past continuous tense

The action is completed but

we are describing the
process of the completed
action. This form uses the
past tense of am was or
were and ing form of
verb.

Past Continuous Tense

I was cooking my breakfast.
I was swimming at the
swimming pool.
I was reading books at the
library.
I was walking through the park
on my way to school.

Future Continuous Tense

present
pas
t

past

future

Future Continuous tense

An action that is in the future
and I am describing the process
of it so the action covers a
period of time not just one
point in time. This tense uses
will be or ing form of verb.

Future continuous tense

I will be cooking my breakfast
tomorrow.
I will be swimming at the
swimming pool next week.
I will be reading books at the
library.

Present perfect
present
pas
t

past

future

Present perfect

An action on going as I speak,

partly completed in the past
and dont know if it will
continue into the future. This
tense uses have plus the
past tense of the verb.

Present Perfect
I have cooked my breakfast
every day this week.
I have swam at the swimming
pool three times this week.
I have read books at the library
five times this month.

Past perfect
pas
present
t

past

future

Past Perfect Tense

The action Is completed in the

past and is described from a past
point of view. It is the past of
the past. This verb tense uses
had plus the past tense of the
verb. This verb tense is not used
for all actions.

Past Perfect Tense

Before they closed the pool, I
had swam at the pool many
times.
I had washed my face with
water and soap every day until I
learned that soap dried my skin.

Future perfect tense

present
pas
t

past

future

Future Perfect Tense

The action is in the future but I am
describing the action as " the past of the
future" So I am talking about two periods
in the future and referring to one period
as complete compared to the other
period, even though both periods are in
the future. This verb tense uses will
have plus the past tense of the verb.
:

Future Perfect Tense

By the time I am thirty I will have cooked my
breakfast at least thirty thousand times.
By the end of next year, I will have swam in
the pool one hundred times if I continue to
go every week.
I will have read every book in that library if
by the end of this month.
I will have washed my face with soap and
water for thirty days at the end of this
month.

Present perfect Continuous

present
pas
t

past

future

Present perfect continuous

Present perfect continuous speaks
of an action that is still on going and
it has been happening for some time
in the past and seems it will
continue in to the future, though we
dont know for sure. The verbs
have been plus ing of the verb is
used.

Present perfect continuous

I have been cooking my own breakfast for at
least thirty years.
I have been swimming in that pool for ten
years and never had a problem with
chlorine.
I have been reading books in that library for
weeks and yet I havent found a real
interesting one.
I will have been washing my face with soap
and water and still my face feels oily.

Past Perfect continuous

present
pas
t

past

future

Past Perfect continuous

This talks of two past dates and
of a continuous action that was
performed until the past date
was arrived at. It is the past of
the past. This tense uses had
been plus the ing form of the
verb.

Past Perfect Continuous

At the end of last year, I had been
swimming in that pool for a decade.
I had been reading books in that library for
twenty years at the end of last month.
I had been washing my face with soap and
water until I was thirteen, then I learned that
soap was drying my skin.

Future Perfect continuous

present
pas
t

past

future

Future Perfect Continuous

This talks of a time in the future and an action
having happened up to that point. The action
is a continual action that may have been in the
past, may be in the future, but will happen for
a period in the future up to the future point
specified. So we are talking about two periods
in the future. One is a point in the future, the
other is the action up to that point in the
future. The verb tense uses will have been
plus the ing form of the verb.

Future Perfect Continuous

By the
At
the end
timeofI am
nextthirty
year,I Iwill
hadhave
beenbeen
swimming
cooking
myinbreakfast
that poolatfor
least
a decade.
thirty thousand
Itimes.
had been reading books in that library for
By
twenty
the end
years
ofat
next
theyear,
end of
I will
lasthave
month.
been
Iswimming
had beenin
washing
the pool
myone
face
hundred
with soap
times.
and
Iwater
will have
untilbeen
I wasreading
thirteen,
books
thenin
I learned
that library
that
soap
for
twenty
was drying
years my
by the
skin.end of next month.