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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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Verb Tense
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.)
Table of Contents
- Easy Examples of Tenses
- Real-Life Examples of Verbs in Different Tenses
- The Full List of Tenses
- Explanation of All 12 Tenses with Examples
- The 4 Past Tenses
- The 4 Present Tenses
- The 4 Future Tenses
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- Printable Test
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.)
- I walk to work. (The verb walk is in the present tense.)
- I will walk to work. (The verb will walk is in the future tense.)
- 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.)
- 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.
- I was running to the shops when I saw Bruno.
- I had run to the shops, but they were closed.
- I had been running to the shops, but I have now started walking.
The 4 Present Tenses
Simple Present Tense. The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits.- I run daily.
- I am running to your house at the moment.
- I have run for 5 miles so far.
- I have been running for hours.
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.
- I will be running to the shops every day after today.
- I will have run to work by 12 o'clock.
- I will have been running for 3 hours by 12 o'clock.
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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