The 12 Tenses in English
1. Present Simple
Structure: Subject + base verb (add -s or -es for third person singular)
Example: "She walks to school every day."
Use: Describes habitual actions, general truths, and facts. Also used for scheduled future events.
Example: "The train leaves at 8 PM."
2. Present Continuous (Present Progressive)
Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb + ing
Example: "She is walking to school right now."
Use: Describes actions happening at the moment of speaking or temporary actions. Also used for future arrangements.
Example: "I am meeting her later today."
3. Present Perfect
Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle
Example: "She has walked to school."
Use: Describes actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. Also used to talk about life experiences, recent actions, or changes over time.
Example: "I have visited Paris."
4. Present Perfect Continuous
Structure: Subject + have/has + been + verb + ing
Example: "She has been walking to school for 30 minutes."
Use: Describes actions that started in the past and are still continuing, or actions that have just recently stopped with a focus on the duration.
Example: "They have been studying for hours."
5. Past Simple
Structure: Subject + past form of verb
Example: "She walked to school yesterday."
Use: Describes completed actions that happened at a specific time in the past.
Example: "He visited his grandparents last weekend."
6. Past Continuous (Past Progressive)
Structure: Subject + was/were + verb + ing
Example: "She was walking to school when it started to rain."
Use: Describes actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past, often interrupted by another action.
Example: "They were watching TV when the power went out."
7. Past Perfect
Structure: Subject + had + past participle
Example: "She had walked to school before it started raining."
Use: Describes actions that were completed before another action or time in the past.
Example: "By the time he arrived, they had already left."
8. Past Perfect Continuous
Structure: Subject + had + been + verb + ing
Example: "She had been walking to school for 30 minutes before it started raining."
Use: Describes actions that were ongoing up until another action in the past. It often emphasizes the duration of the action.
Example: "He had been waiting for an hour before the bus arrived."
9. Future Simple
Structure: Subject + will + base verb
Example: "She will walk to school tomorrow."
Use: Describes actions that will happen in the future. It is also used for promises, offers, and decisions made at the moment of speaking.
Example: "I will help you with that."
10. Future Continuous (Future Progressive)
Structure: Subject + will + be + verb + ing
Example: "She will be walking to school at 8 AM tomorrow."
Use: Describes actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future. It can also be used for planned events or to indicate that something will happen as part of a routine.
Example: "I will be working all day tomorrow."
11. Future Perfect
Structure: Subject + will + have + past participle
Example: "She will have walked to school by 9 AM tomorrow."
Use: Describes actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
Example: "By next year, they will have finished the project."
12. Future Perfect Continuous
Structure: Subject + will + have + been + verb + ing
Example: "She will have been walking to school for 30 minutes by the time you arrive."
Use: Describes actions that will have been ongoing for a period of time before another action or time in the future.
Example: "By the time she arrives, he will have been waiting for two hours."
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