English Verb Tenses: Rules, Usage, and Examples

PRESENT SIMPLE

(Add ‘-s’ for third person singular)

(Auxiliary: do/does)

• Habitual actions
• Facts
• Stative verbs

• Frequency adverbs
• Time expressions (e.g., once a week, on Sundays, every day)
• Feelings, likes, dislikes

I often play football.

He goes to the cinema once a week.

Water boils at 100ºC.

I don’t remember his name.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

(‘to be’ in present + V-ing)

• Action happening now
• Action in progress
• Future plans

• Now, at the moment
• This week, this year
• Next Monday, tonight, tomorrow

He is writing some emails now.

We are studying Bachillerato this year.

They aren’t coming to my birthday party next weekend.

PAST SIMPLE

(‘-ed’ or irregular verbs)

(Auxiliary: ‘did’)

• Completed action in the past

• Yesterday
• Last week
• Two days ago; when

Yesterday, we went to the cinema.

We didn’t come to class last Friday.

They arrived 20 minutes ago.

PAST CONTINUOUS

(‘to be’ in past + V-ing)

• Unfinished action in the past
• Interrupted by another action
• Parallel to another action

• At eight o’clock yesterday
• While
• As

We were watching TV at 8 yesterday.

While/as I was having a shower, the phone rang.

While I was reading a book, my sister was talking on the phone.

PRESENT PERFECT

(have/has + participle)

Often translated in Spanish as present tense or with the expression ‘llevar + gerundio‘.

• Action that started in the past and continues
• Action that finished at some point in the past but is connected to the present

• How long
• Ever
• Just
• Already/yet
• For/since
• Recently, lately

How long have you waited for me?

Has he ever been to the USA?

We have just finished homework.

My brother hasn’t arrived yet.

I have learnt English for 7 years.

I haven’t seen him recently.

PAST PERFECT

(had + participle)

Spanish pretérito pluscuamperfecto (had + participle)

• Action prior to another action in the past

• After, before
• By the time
• Already

After we had had lunch, we washed up.

By the time he arrived, I had already left.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

(have been / has been + V-ing)

• Similar to Present Perfect, but emphasizing continuity or progress

• How long
• For/since
• Recently, lately
• All day long/all night long

How long have you been waiting for me?

She has been learning English for 7 years.

I’ve been studying all night long.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

(had been + V-ing)

• Similar to Past Perfect, but emphasizing continuity or progress

• For hours
• All morning
• When, before

When you arrived, I had been studying for 2 hours.

By the time she stopped for lunch, she had been working all morning.

FUTURE SIMPLE

(will + infinitive)

• Schedules
• Predictions
• Spontaneous decisions

• Tomorrow/in an hour
• I think/I’m sure
• This evening/later

The exam will start at 10 tomorrow.

I’m sure that you will pass your exams.

I’m very tired. I’ll go to bed.

BE GOING TO

(be going to + infinitive)

(Conjugate the verb ‘to be’)

• Intentions, future plans
• Clear evidence of something

• Tomorrow/in an hour
• This evening/later
• Next weekend

We are going to have a party tomorrow.

Look at those black clouds. It’s going to rain.

FUTURE PERFECT

(will have + participle)

• Action completed in the future

• By the end of…
• By this time next…
• In four months

By the end of November, we will have taken lots of exams.

In four months, we will have finished the second term.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

(will be + V-ing)

• Action in progress in the future

• At this time tomorrow
• At this time next…
• On Friday…

At this time next month, we will be celebrating Christmas.

In June, we will be doing Selectividad.