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Complete Aspect
What Is the Complete Aspect? (with Examples)
The complete aspect (or perfect aspect as it's more commonly known) is the aspect of a verb that expresses a completed action.Put another way, "complete aspect" is the collective term for all the verbs (in the past tense, present tense, or future tense) in a complete tense (or perfect) tense.
Table of Contents
- The Three "Complete (or Perfect) Aspect" Verb Tenses
- Examples of Verbs in the Complete Aspect
- Forming the Complete Aspect
- Verb Tenses Showing the Complete Aspect
- Verb Tense Widget
- Why the Complete Aspect Is Important
- Printable Test

The Three "Complete (or Perfect) Aspect" Verb Tenses
This lesson is about the three tenses (past, present, and future) in the complete (or perfect) 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 complete (or perfect) aspect are highlighted.
The "Simple Aspect" Tenses | Examples |
---|---|
The simple aspect is used to describe facts and habits. | |
Simple Present Tense | |
Simple Past Tense | |
Simple Future Tense |
The "Progressive (or Continuing) Aspect" Tenses | Examples |
---|---|
The progressive aspect expresses ongoing actions. | |
Present Progressive Tense | |
Past Progressive Tense | |
Future Progressive Tense |
The "Complete (or Perfect) Aspect" Tenses | Examples |
---|---|
The complete aspect expresses completed actions. | |
Present Perfect Tense | |
Past Perfect Tense | |
Future Perfect Tense |
The "Perfect Progressive Aspect" Tenses | Examples |
---|---|
The perfect progressive aspect expresses the end of an ongoing action. | |
Present Perfect Progressive Tense | |
Past Perfect Progressive Tense | |
Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
Examples of Verbs in the Complete Aspect
Here are some examples of verbs in the complete aspect:In the Past Tense
- I had gone.
- They had eaten.
- She had felt.
- I have gone.
- We have cleaned.
- It has recovered.
- I will have gone.
- You will have acted.
- He will have flown.
Forming the Complete Aspect
The complete aspect is formed using a form of the auxiliary verb "have" and the past participle. For example:Forming the Past Complete Tense
"had"
+ [past participle]
- They had eaten.
Forming the Present Complete Tense
"has" or "have"
+ [past participle]
- He has eaten.
- We have eaten.
Forming the Future Complete Tense
"will have"
+ [past participle]
- He will have eaten.
Verb Tenses Showing the Complete Aspect
Here is a list of the verb tenses. The ones in the complete aspect are shaded.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
to base form
( verb)
Select the tenses.
Present Tenses
Past Tenses
Future Tenses
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)
- Learning or teaching English? Get your head in those verb tables!
- The past complete 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.
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