Perfect Tenses
What Are the Perfect Tenses?
Perfect tense is a category of verb tense used to describe completed actions. It covers the past perfect tense, the present perfect tense, and the future perfect tense. It is sometimes called the complete tense.Table of Contents
- Examples of Verbs in a Perfect Tense
- Forming the Perfect Tenses
- The Perfect Tenses in the Past, Present, and Future
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- The Perfect Aspect
- Why Perfect Tenses Are Important
- Test Time!
Examples of Verbs in a Perfect Tense
Here are some examples of verbs in a perfect tense:The Past Perfect Tense
- I had gone.
- He had seen.
The Present Perfect Tense
- I have gone.
- He has seen.
The Future Perfect Tense
- I will have gone.
- He will have seen.
Forming the Perfect Tenses
The perfect tenses are formed using a form of the auxiliary verb "to have" and the past participle. For example:Forming the Past Perfect Tense
"had"
+ [past participle]
- He had spoken.
Forming the Present Perfect Tense
"has" or "have"
+ [past participle]
- She has spoken.
- They have spoken.
Forming the Future Perfect Tense
"will have"
+ [past participle]
- He will have spoken.
The Perfect Tenses in the Past, Present, and Future
Here are the 12 tenses again. This time, the tenses are ordered under the headings past tense, present tense, and future tense. The perfect (or complete) tenses are shaded in yellow.The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
---|---|
simple past tense | I went |
past progressive tense | I was going |
past perfect tense | I had gone |
past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
simple present tense | I go |
present progressive tense | I am going |
present perfect tense | I have gone |
present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
simple future tense | I will go |
future progressive tense | I will be going |
future perfect tense | I will have gone |
future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going |
Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
The tables below show all 12 tenses so you can see the perfect tenses among the other tenses. (You can change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)Top 10 Regular Verbs
Top 10 Irregular Verbs
All 4 Past Tenses
Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
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The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
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The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
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The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
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The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
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All 4 Present Tenses
Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
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The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
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The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
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The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
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All 4 Future Tenses
Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
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The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
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The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
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The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
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The Perfect Aspect
The term perfect aspect is used to group all verbs (past, present, and future) in the perfect tenses. (Remember that the aspect of a verb is determined by whether its action is ongoing or completed.)Why Perfect Tenses Are Important
Native English speakers can use all twelve tenses without giving the grammar a second thought. However, if you're learning or teaching English, you must spend time learning the tenses because expressing when something occurs is a fundamental communication skill. Remember though that tenses do not just tell us whether something is a past, present, or future action. They also tell us whether the action is habitual, completed, or ongoing (called the aspects).The trick to learning tenses is mastering the following:
- The verb "to be" in all its forms (am, is, are, was, were, will be)
- The verb "to have" in all its forms (has, have, had, will have)
- Present participles, i.e., the "ing" form of verbs (e.g., playing, thinking, eating)
- Past participles (e.g., played, thought, eaten)
Key Points
- Learning or teaching English? Get your head in those verb tables!
- The past perfect tense is a particularly common tense. So, if you're prioritizing your learning of tenses, make sure that tense is among the first ones you learn. Good luck.
Learning Resources
play:
drag-n-drop game on verb tenseslists:
top 10 regular verbs top 10 irregular verbs top 100 verbs in English to be to have to domore actions:
Test Time!
This test is printable and sendable