Tenses

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Grammar: essential tense map

New · 0 of 10

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1 of 10Phrase

simple present

Describes actions that happen now or often.

Subject + base form of the verb Subject + do/does + not + base form of the verb Do/Does + subject + base form of the verb ? For the third person singular (he, she, it), the base form of the verb is used with 's' or 'es' added.

Example

I eat breakfast every morning.

Vocabulary in this set

Compare ten present, past, and future forms by purpose, sentence pattern, and example.

  1. simple present

    Phrase

    Describes actions that happen now or often.

    I eat breakfast every morning.

    Subject + base form of the verb Subject + do/does + not + base form of the verb Do/Does + subject + base form of the verb ? For the third person singular (he, she, it), the base form of the verb is used with 's' or 'es' added.

  2. present continuous

    Phrase

    Describes actions happening now.

    I am writing a letter.

    Subject + am/are/is + present participle Subject + am/are/is + not + present participle Am/Are/Is + subject + present participle ?

  3. present perfect

    Phrase

    Describes actions completed recently or still relevant.

    She has already finished her homework.

    Subject + has/have + past participle Subject + has/have + not + past participle Has/Have + subject + past participle ?

  4. present perfect continuous

    Phrase

    Describes an action that started in the past, has continued up to the present, and may continue into the future. It emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of the action.

    She has been studying for hours.

    Subject + has/have + been + present participle Subject + has/have + not + been + present participle Has/Have + subject + been + present participle ?

  5. simple past

    Phrase

    Describes completed actions in the past.

    She visited Paris last summer.

    Subject + past tense of the verb Subject + did + not + base form of the verb Did + subject + base form of the verb ?

  6. past continuous

    Phrase

    Describes ongoing actions in the past.

    She was visiting Paris last summer.

    Subject + was/were + present participle Subject + was/were + not + present participle Was/Were + subject + present participle + ?

  7. past perfect

    Phrase

    Describes completed actions before another action in the past.

    She had already finished her homework before dinner.

    Subject + had + past participle Subject + had + not + past participle Had + subject + past participle ?

  8. past perfect continuous

    Phrase

    Describes an action that had been ongoing for a period of time before another action or point in the past. It emphasizes the duration or continuity of an action that was happening before something else occurred.

    She had been studying for hours before the exam.

    Subject + had + been + present participle Subject + had + not + been + present participle Had + subject + been + present participle ?

  9. future: be going to

    Expression

    Describes planned or expected future actions, intentions, or predictions. It suggests that there is already a plan or intention to do something in the future, or that a future event is likely to happen based on present evidence or circumstances.

    She is going to visit Paris next summer.

    Subject + am/is/are + going to + base form of the verb Subject + am/is/are + not + going to + base form of the verb Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base form of the verb + ?

  10. simple future

    Phrase

    Describes actions that will happen in the future.

    I will call you tomorrow.

    Subject + will + base form of the verb Subject + will + not + base form of the verb Will + subject + base form of the verb ?

Tenses