English Verb Tenses: Usage and Examples
English Verb Tenses
Used to
Past habits (repeated actions)
I used to go dancing every weekend.
Past situations (no longer true)
I used to be blond when I was a child.
Forms:
- Positive: He used to play football.
- Negative: He didn’t use to play football.
- Question: Did he use to play football?
Usually
Present actions (habitual)
I usually have a salad for dinner.
I usually go to school by bus.
Past Simple
- Affirmative: Subject + Verb+ed (I watched a movie yesterday)
- Negative: Subject + didn’t + Verb (She didn’t like the food)
- Question: Did + Subject + Verb? (Did you finish the homework?)
Past Continuous
- Positive: Subject + was/were + Verb+ing (I was reading a book)
- Negative: Subject + wasn’t/weren’t + Verb+ing (They weren’t working)
- Question: Was/Were + Subject + Verb+ing? (Was he sleeping?)
Past Perfect
- Positive: Subject + had + Verb,ed (She had finished the project before the deadline)
- Negative: Subject + hadn’t + Verb,ed (They hadn’t visited the museum)
- Question: Had + Subject + Verb,ed? (Had you eaten before the show?)
Present Perfect Simple
- Affirmative: Subject + have/has + verb,ed (I have eaten breakfast)
- Negative: Subject + have/has + not + verb,ed (She hasn’t visited Paris)
- Interrogative: Have/Has + subject + verb,ed ?(Have they finished the project?)
Present Simple: timetables
- I-you-we-they+verb (I love comics) / he-she-it+verbs (he loves comics)
- I-you-we-they+don’t+verb (I don’t love comics) / he-she-it+doesn’t+verb (he doesn’t love comics?)
- do+I-you-we-they+verb? (do you love comics) / does+he-she-it+verb? (does he love comics?)
Present Continuous: near future, plans and arrangements
- I+am+verb,ing (I’m taking pictures) / you-we-they+are+verb,ing (you are taking pictures) / he-she-it+is+verb,ing (he is taking pictures)
- I am not taking pictures / you are not taking pictures / he is not taking pictures
- am I taking pictures? / are you taking pictures? / is he taking pictures?
Be going to: plans and intentions, predictions with evidence
- I+am+going to+verb (I am going to order pizza) / you-we-they+are+going to+verb(you are going to order pizza) / he-she-it+is+going to+verb(he is going to order pizza)
- I am not going to pizza / you are not going to order pizza / he is not going to order pizza
- am I going to order pizza? / are you going to order pizza/ is he going to order pizza
Future simple (will): predictions without evidence, general future
- I-you-he-she-it-we-they+will+verb (I will give classes) / I-you-he-she-it-we they+won’t+verb (I won’t give classes) / will+I-you-he-she-it-we-they+verb? (will I give classes?)
Future Continuous: action in progress in the future
- I-you-he-she-it-we-they+will+be+verb,ing (you will be singing) / I-you-he-she-it-we-they+won’t+be+verb,ing (I won’t be singing) / will+I-you-he-she-it-we-they+be+verb,ing? (will I be singing?)
Future Perfect: action that will be finished in the future
- I-you-he-she-it-we-they+will+have+verb,ed (I will have finished by tomorrow) / I-you-he-she-it-we-they+won’t+have+verb,ed (I won’t have finished by tomorrow) / will+I-you-he-she-it-we-they+have+verb,ed (will I have finished by tomorrow)