Verb Tense

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What Is Verb Tense? (with Examples)

The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three main tenses are as follows:

• The Past Tense (e.g., I walked.)
• The Present Tense (e.g., I walk.)
• The Future Tense (e.g., I will walk.)

The tense of a verb can also tell us things like whether the action is habitual, ongoing, or completed. This is called the aspect of the verb, which is part of tense.

Easy Examples of Tenses

Here are some examples of verbs in different tenses:

• I walked to work.
(The verb walked is in the past tense.)

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• I walk to work.
(The verb walk is in the present tense.)

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• I will walk to work.
(The verb will walk is in the future tense.)

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Remember that verbs do not just express actions. They can also express a state of being. For example:

• I was happy.
(The verb was is in the past tense.)
• I am happy.
(The verb am is in the present tense.)
• I will be happy.
(The verb will be is in the future tense.)

Real-Life Examples of Verbs in Different Tenses

Here are some more examples of verbs in the past, present, and future tenses:

• The hardest that I have laughed at a movie was probably Team America. I laughed 'til I thought I was going to throw up. (Ron White)
(The shaded verbs are in the past tense.)
• You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you are all the same. (Jonathan Davis)
(The shaded verbs are in the present tense.)
• Nobody will laugh long who deals much with opium; even its pleasures are of a grave and solemn complexion. (Thomas de Quincey)
(The shaded verbs are in the future tense.)

You will notice that some of the verbs in the past tense example about Team America are made up of more than one word (have laughed, was going). We need these different versions of the tenses because they help us to state whether the action (or state of being) is in progress or completed. For example, the different versions of the verb to laugh are as follows:

• Past Tense: laughed, was/were laughing, had laughed, had been laughing
• Present Tense: laugh, am/is/are laughing, has/have laughed, has/have been laughing
• Future Tense: will laugh, will be laughing, will have laughed, will have been laughing

The Full List of Tenses

The table below shows the full list of the tenses:

The 4 Past Tenses	Example 1	Example 2
simple past tense	I went	I laughed
past progressive tense	I was going	I was laughing
past perfect tense	I had gone	I had laughed
past perfect progressive tense	I had been going	I had been laughing
The 4 Present Tenses	Example 1	Example 2
simple present tense	I go	I laugh
present progressive tense	I am going	I am laughing
present perfect tense	I have gone	I have laughed
present perfect progressive tense	I have been going	I have been laughing
The 4 Future Tenses	Example 1	Example 2
simple future tense	I will go	I will laugh
future progressive tense	I will be going	I will be laughing
future perfect tense	I will have gone	I will have laughed
future perfect progressive tense	I will have been going	I will have been laughing

Explanation of All 12 Tenses with Examples

The 4 Past Tenses

Simple Past Tense. The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past.

• I ran to the shops.

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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.

• I was running to the shops when I saw Bruno.

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Past Perfect Tense. The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place.

• I had run to the shops, but they were closed.

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Past Perfect Progressive Tense. The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended.

• I had been running to the shops, but I have now started walking.

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The 4 Present Tenses

Simple Present Tense. The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits.

• I run daily.

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Present Progressive Tense. The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present.

• I am running to your house at the moment.

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Present Perfect Tense. The present perfect tense is used for actions began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.)

• I have run for 5 miles so far.

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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).

• I have been running for hours.

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The 4 Future Tenses

Simple Future Tense. The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future.

• I will run to the shops tomorrow.

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Future Progressive Tense. The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.

• I will be running to the shops every day after today.

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Future Perfect Tense. The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.

• I will have run to work by 12 o'clock.

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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.

• I will have been running for 3 hours by 12 o'clock.

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Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables

The tables below show all 12 tenses. (You can change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)

Top 10 Regular Verbs

want look use work start try ask need talk help

Top 10 Irregular Verbs

see say go come know get give become find think

All 4 Past Tenses

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

All 4 Present Tenses

Person	Simple Present	Present Progressive Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	base form base form 3rd pers sing present base form base form base form The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.	am present participle are present participle is present participle are present participle are present participle are present participle The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.	have past participle have past participle has past participle have past participle have past participle have past participle The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)	have been present participle have been present participle has been present participle have been present participle have been present participle have been present participle The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).

All 4 Future Tenses

Person	Simple Future	Future Progressive Tense	Future Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	will base form will base form will base form will base form will base form will base form The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.	will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle will be present participle The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.	will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle will have past participle The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.	will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle will have been present participle 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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