1- future, present, and past; simple, progressive and perfect
English verbs can refer to future, present or past time, and for each kind of time, there are three possibilities with most verbs: simple, progressive (be + -ing) and perfect (have + past participle)
simple present: I start present progressive: I am starting present perfect: I have started
2- verb forms (‘tenses’) and time
There is not a direct relationship between verb forms and time. For example, a past verb like went is not only used to talk about past events (e.g. We went to Morocco last January ) but also about unreal or uncertain present or future events (e.g. It would be better if we went home now). And present verbs can be used to talk about the future (e.g. I’m seeing Peter tomorrow). Also, progressive and perfect forms express ideas that are not simply concerned with time – for example continuation, completion, present importance.
3- progressive forms
Progressive (or ‘continuous’) forms are used especially when we describe an event as going on or continuing (perhaps at a particular time, or up to a particular time). see progressive 1: general for more details.
- I can’t talk to you now; I’m working.
- When you phoned I was working in the garage.
- I was tired because I had been working all day.
4- perfect forms
Perfect forms are used, for example, when we want to suggest a connection between a past event and the present, or between an earlier and a later past event; or when we want to say that something is/was/will be completed by a particular time. see perfect verb forms for more details.
- I have worked with children before, so I know what to expect in my new job. After I had worked with Jake for a few weeks, I felt I knew him pretty well.
- I will have worked 10 hours by suppertime.
- Perfect progressive forms are also possible.
- I’ve been working all day.
5- table of active verb forms
This is a list of all the active affirmative forms of an ordinary English verb, with their names, examples, and very brief descriptions of typical uses. For more information about the forms and their uses, see the entries for each one.
Name |
Construction (Form) |
Example |
Typical Use |
| (simple) future | will + infinitive [I/we shall also possible] | It will rain tomorrow. | information about the future (see future 2: will/shall) |
| future progressive | will be .. .ing [I/we shall also possible] | This time tomorrow I’ll be lying on the beach. | the continuing situation at a particular future time (see future 10: future progressive) |
| future perfect | will have + past participle [I/we shall also possible] | I will have finished the repairs by this evening. | completion by a particular future time (see future 9: future perfect they will have finished) |
| future perfect progressive | will have been .. .ing [I/we shall also possible] | In June, I will have been working here for ten years. | continuity up to a particular future time (see future 9: future perfect they will have finished) |
| simple present | same as infinitive, but -s on third person singular (e.g. I/you/we/they work; he/she works) | It always rains in November. | ‘genera! time; permanent situations (see present tenses 3: simple present use) |
| present progressive | am/is/are + .. .ing | I can’t talk to you now; I’m working. | actions continuing at the moment of speaking (see present tenses 4: progressive or ‘continuous’) |
| present perfect | have/has + past participle | I have worked with children before, so I know what to expect. | past action with some present connection (see present perfect 1: basic information) |
| present perfect progressive | have/has been .. .ing | It has been raining all day. | continuation up to the present (see present perfect 4🙂 |
| simple past |
regular verbs: infinitive + -(e)d irregular verbs: various forms |
I worked all last weekend. I saw John yesterday. |
past events (see past 1: simple past I worked etc) |
| past progressive | was /were . . .ing | I saw John when I was coming out of the supermarket. | action continuing at a particular past time (see past 2: past progressive I was working etc) |
| past perfect | had + past participle | I couldn’t get in because I had lost my keys. | action before a particular past time (see past perfect 1: basic information) |
| past perfect progressive | had been .. .ing | I was tired because I had been working all day. | continuation up to a particular past time (see past perfect 3: progressive) |
- For irregular past tenses and past participles, see irregular verbs.
- About question forms, see questions 1: basic rules. For negatives, see negative structures 1: basic rules.
- For the use of present forms to talk about the future, see future 3: going to.
- Regarding past verbs with present or future meanings, see past verb form with present or future meaning.
- For ‘conditional’ forms (would + infinitive), see would: various uses and if 3: special structures with past tenses and would.
- About subjunctives (e.g. that she go), see subjunctive.
- Regarding passive verb forms, see passives 1: passive structures and verb forms.
- About infinitives, see infinitives 2: forms. For imperatives, see imperatives.
- For -ing forms, see -ing forms 1: introduction. For auxiliary verbs, see auxiliary verbs.
- Regarding verb forms constructed with modal auxiliary verbs, see modal auxiliary verbs: introduction.
For more information consult a good dictionary like Langman, Oxford, Merriam Webster, or Collins.