Simple Aspect

What Is the Simple Aspect?

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The simple aspect (or indefinite aspect as it's occasionally called) is the verb form used to express a fact. Unlike other aspects (like the progressive aspect or the perfect aspect), the simple aspect does not make it clear whether the action is a complete action or a habitual action. For example:

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Britain.
We climbed Ben Nevis yesterday.
He climbs Ben Nevis every year.

Any verb (in the past, present or future) in the indefinite (or simple) tense is said to be in the "simple aspect."

Table of Contents

The Simple Aspect Is Not Simple
The Three "Simple Aspect" Verb Tenses
Examples of Verbs in the Simple Aspect
Forming the Simple Aspect
Verb Tenses Showing the Simple Aspect
Verb Tense Widget
Why the Simple Aspect Is Important
Test Time!

The Simple Aspect Is Not Simple

A verb in the simple aspect relies on a combination of context and tense to clarify whether the action is complete or on going. For example:

He ate cake.
He ate a cake.
He eats cake.

This aspect's name (i.e., the simple aspect) does not do justice to how complicated it is.

However, with the exception of the simple future tense (which is formed with the auxiliary verb "will"), verbs in the simple aspect are not formed using auxiliary verbs or participles. So, it's quite simple to form.

The Three "Simple Aspect" Verb Tenses

This lesson is about the three tenses (past, present, and future) in the simple aspect. There are four aspects in total, each of which has three tenses. So, overall, there are 12 tenses.

The tables below show all 12 tenses categorized by aspect. The tenses in the simple aspect are highlighted.

The "Simple Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The simple aspect is used to describe facts and habits.
Simple Present Tense	The dog eats bones.
Simple Past Tense	The dog ate bones.
Simple Future Tense	The dog will eat bones.

The "Progressive (or Continuing) Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The progressive aspect expresses ongoing actions.
Present Progressive Tense	The dog is eating bones.
Past Progressive Tense	The dog was eating bones.
Future Progressive Tense	The dog will be eating bones.

The "Perfect (or Complete) Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The perfect aspect expresses completed actions.
Present Perfect Tense	The dog has eaten bones.
Past Perfect Tense	The dog had eaten bones.
Future Perfect Tense	The dog will have eaten bones.

The "Perfect Progressive Aspect" Tenses	Examples
The perfect progressive aspect expresses the end of an ongoing action.
Present Perfect Progressive Tense	The dog has been eating bones.
Past Perfect Progressive Tense	The dog had been eating bones.
Future Perfect Progressive Tense	The dog will have been eating bones.

Examples of Verbs in the Simple Aspect

Here are some examples of verbs in the simple aspect.

In the Past Tense

I cleaned the window.
They cleaned the window.

In the Present Tense

I clean the window.
They clean the window.

In the Future Tense

I will clean the window.
They will clean the window.

Forming the Simple Aspect

Here is an overview on how to form the simple aspect:

Forming the Simple Past Tense (for most verbs)

[base form of the verb]

"ed"

They jumped.

This is how the simple past tense is formed with most verbs. However, there are several spelling rules to consider. Read more about forming the simple past tense.

Forming the Simple Present Tense (for most verbs)

[base form of the verb by itself]

or if it's the third person singular (he, she, or it)

[base form of the verb]

"s"

We jump.
He jumps.

This is how the simple present tense is formed with most verbs. However, there are several spelling rules to consider. Read more about forming the simple present tense.

Forming the Simple Future Tense

"will"

[base form of the verb]

He will jump.

Verb Tenses Showing the Simple Aspect

Here are the 12 tenses again. This time, the tenses are ordered under the headings past tense, present tense, and future tense. As before, the tenses in the simple aspect 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

Verb Tense Widget

Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there's a button, a drop-down menu, or a

, then you can click it!

to base form

( verb)

Select the tenses.

Present Tenses

Simple Present Tense The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits. More...(opens new tab) I base form you base form he/she/it 3rd pers sing present we base form you base form they base form Present Progressive Tense The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present. More...(opens new tab) I am present participle you are present participle he/she/it is present participle we are present participle you are present participle they are present participle Present Perfect Tense The present perfect tense is used for actions that began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.) More...(opens new tab) I have past participle you have past participle he/she/it has past participle we have past participle you have past participle they have past participle Present Perfect Progressive
Tense The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently). More...(opens new tab) I have been present participle you have been present participle he/she/it has been present participle we have been present participle you have been present participle they have been present participle

Past Tenses

Simple Past The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. More...(opens new tab) I past tense you past tense he/she/it past tense we past tense you past tense they past tense Past Progressive Tense The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. More...(opens new tab) I was present participle you were present participle he/she/it was present participle we were present participle you were present participle they were present participle Past Perfect Tense The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place. More...(opens new tab) I had past participle you had past participle he/she/it had past participle we had past participle you had past participle they had past participle Past Perfect Progressive
Tense The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended. More...(opens new tab) I had been present participle you had been present participle he/she/it had been present participle we had been present participle you had been present participle they had been present participle

Future Tenses

Simple Future The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will base form you will base form he/she/it will base form we will base form you will base form they will base form Future Progressive Tense The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will be present participle you will be present participle he/she/it will be present participle we will be present participle you will be present participle they will be present participle Future Perfect Tense The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will have past participle you will have past participle he/she/it will have past participle we will have past participle you will have past participle they will have past participle Future Perfect Progressive
Tense The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. More...(opens new tab) I will have been present participle you will have been present participle he/she/it will have been present participle we will have been present participle you will have been present participle they will have been present participle

Why the Simple Aspect Is 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. The simple tenses are usually the first tenses taught, but, as we've covered, they're not simple at all, and they're not used too often during a natural conversation.

Remember 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)