The Verb "Show" in English

Conjugation of "To Show"

The verb "show" is an irregular verb. (This means that "show" does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.)

The Five Forms of "To Show"

FormshowAlternative Name
Base FormshowInfinitive Form
The -S FormshowsThird Person Singular Form
Past FormshowedSimple Past Tense
The -ING FormshowingPresent Participle Form
The Past Participle Formshown[no alternative name]

"To Show" in All the Tenses

The tables below show how "show" conjugates in the past, present, and future tenses.

Past Tenses

PersonSimple PastPast Progressive TensePast Perfect TensePast Perfect Progressive Tense
  • I
  • you
  • he/she/it
  • we
  • you
  • they
  • showed
  • showed
  • showed
  • showed
  • showed
  • showed
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
  • was showing
  • were showing
  • was showing
  • were showing
  • were showing
  • were showing
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
  • had shown
  • had shown
  • had shown
  • had shown
  • had shown
  • had shown
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
  • had been showing
  • had been showing
  • had been showing
  • had been showing
  • had been showing
  • had been showing
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.

Present Tenses

PersonSimple PresentPresent Progressive TensePresent Perfect TensePresent Perfect Progressive Tense
  • I
  • you
  • he/she/it
  • we
  • you
  • they
  • show
  • show
  • shows
  • show
  • show
  • show
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
  • am showing
  • are showing
  • is showing
  • are showing
  • are showing
  • are showing
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
  • have shown
  • have shown
  • has shown
  • have shown
  • have shown
  • have shown
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
  • have been showing
  • have been showing
  • has been showing
  • have been showing
  • have been showing
  • have been showing
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).

Future Tenses

PersonSimple FutureFuture Progressive TenseFuture Perfect TenseFuture Perfect Progressive Tense
  • I
  • you
  • he/she/it
  • we
  • you
  • they
  • will show
  • will show
  • will show
  • will show
  • will show
  • will show
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
  • will be showing
  • will be showing
  • will be showing
  • will be showing
  • will be showing
  • will be showing
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
  • will have shown
  • will have shown
  • will have shown
  • will have shown
  • will have shown
  • will have shown
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
  • will have been showing
  • will have been showing
  • will have been showing
  • will have been showing
  • will have been showing
  • will have been showing
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.

Most Common Irregular Verbs

The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs: Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.