Tenses In English

1. Present Tenses

1.1 Present Simple

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + Base Verb (add s/es for he/she/it)
  • Negative: Subject + do/does not + Base Verb
  • Question: Do/Does + Subject + Base Verb?

Examples:

  • Positive: I work every day.
  • Negative: She does not (doesn’t) like coffee.
  • Question: Do they play football?

Usage:

  • For habits, routines, or general truths.
    Example: The sun rises in the east.

 

1.2 Present Continuous

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + am/is/are + Verb(-ing)
  • Negative: Subject + am/is/are not + Verb(-ing)
  • Question: Am/Is/Are + Subject + Verb(-ing)?

Examples:

  • Positive: He is studying right now.
  • Negative: They are not (aren’t) working today.
  • Question: Are you listening?

Usage:

  • For actions happening now or around the moment of speaking.
    Example: She is cooking dinner.

 

1.3 Present Perfect

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + has/have + Past Participle
  • Negative: Subject + has/have not + Past Participle
  • Question: Has/Have + Subject + Past Participle?

Examples:

  • Positive: I have finished my homework.
  • Negative: He has not (hasn’t) called me yet.
  • Question: Have they visited Paris?

Usage:

  • For actions completed in the past with a connection to the present.
    Example: She has lived in London for five years.

 

1.4 Present Perfect Continuous

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + has/have been + Verb(-ing)
  • Negative: Subject + has/have not been + Verb(-ing)
  • Question: Has/Have + Subject + been + Verb(-ing)?

Examples:

  • Positive: We have been waiting for an hour.
  • Negative: She has not (hasn’t) been studying.
  • Question: Have you been exercising?

Usage:

  • For actions that started in the past and are still ongoing.
    Example: I have been working here since 2010.

 

2. Past Tenses

2.1 Past Simple

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + Past Verb
  • Negative: Subject + did not (didn’t) + Base Verb
  • Question: Did + Subject + Base Verb?

Examples:

  • Positive: I watched a movie yesterday.
  • Negative: She didn’t go to the party.
  • Question: Did they visit the museum?

Usage:

  • For completed actions in the past.
    Example: He played football last weekend.

 

2.2 Past Continuous

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + was/were + Verb(-ing)
  • Negative: Subject + was/were not + Verb(-ing)
  • Question: Was/Were + Subject + Verb(-ing)?

Examples:

  • Positive: They were sleeping when I called.
  • Negative: She was not (wasn’t) watching TV.
  • Question: Were you studying last night?

Usage:

  • For actions happening at a specific time in the past.
    Example: I was reading at 8 PM yesterday.

 

2.3 Past Perfect

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + had + Past Participle
  • Negative: Subject + had not (hadn’t) + Past Participle
  • Question: Had + Subject + Past Participle?

Examples:

  • Positive: She had left before I arrived.
  • Negative: They had not (hadn’t) finished the project.
  • Question: Had he studied for the test?

Usage:

  • For actions completed before another action in the past.
    Example: By the time I arrived, he had already left.

 

2.4 Past Perfect Continuous

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + had been + Verb(-ing)
  • Negative: Subject + had not been + Verb(-ing)
  • Question: Had + Subject + been + Verb(-ing)?

Examples:

  • Positive: We had been walking for hours when it started to rain.
  • Negative: She had not (hadn’t) been practicing.
  • Question: Had they been working all day?

Usage:

  • For actions ongoing in the past before another action.
    Example: He had been studying for two hours before the power went out.

 

3. Future Tenses

3.1 Future Simple

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + will + Base Verb
  • Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + Base Verb
  • Question: Will + Subject + Base Verb?

Examples:

  • Positive: I will visit you tomorrow.
  • Negative: He won’t attend the meeting.
  • Question: Will they come to the party?

Usage:

  • For actions in the future.
    Example: She will travel to Italy next month.

 

3.2 Future Continuous

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + will be + Verb(-ing)
  • Negative: Subject + will not be + Verb(-ing)
  • Question: Will + Subject + be + Verb(-ing)?

Examples:

  • Positive: We will be waiting for you at 5 PM.
  • Negative: He won’t be coming with us.
  • Question: Will you be staying there overnight?

Usage:

  • For ongoing actions at a specific time in the future.
    Example: I will be working at 10 AM tomorrow.

 

3.3 Future Perfect

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + will have + Past Participle
  • Negative: Subject + will not have + Past Participle
  • Question: Will + Subject + have + Past Participle?

Examples:

  • Positive: She will have finished her homework by 8 PM.
  • Negative: They won’t have completed the task on time.
  • Question: Will he have arrived by then?

Usage:

  • For actions completed before a specific time in the future.
    Example: By next year, I will have graduated.

 

3.4 Future Perfect Continuous

Formula:

  • Positive: Subject + will have been + Verb(-ing)
  • Negative: Subject + will not have been + Verb(-ing)
  • Question: Will + Subject + have been + Verb(-ing)?

Examples:

  • Positive: By 6 PM, I will have been waiting for two hours.
  • Negative: She won’t have been working there for long.
  • Question: Will they have been studying all night?

Usage:

  • For ongoing actions that will continue up to a point in the future.
    Example: By December, she will have been living here for three years.

 

Quick Summary Table

Tense Formula Example
Present Simple Subject + Base Verb I play football.
Past Simple Subject + Past Verb I played football yesterday.
Future Simple Subject + will + Base Verb I will play football tomorrow.
Present Continuous Subject + am/is/are + Verb(-ing) I am playing football now.
Past Continuous Subject + was/were + Verb(-ing) I was playing football at 5 PM.
Future Continuous Subject + will be + Verb(-ing) I will be playing football then.
Present Perfect Subject + has/have + Past Participle I have played football many times.
Past Perfect Subject + had + Past Participle I had played football before lunch.
Future Perfect Subject + will have + Past Participle I will have played by tomorrow.
Present Perfect Continuous Subject + has/have been + Verb(-ing) I have been playing for 2 hours.
Past Perfect Continuous Subject + had been + Verb(-ing) I had been playing before it rained.
Future Perfect Continuous Subject + will have been + Verb(-ing) I will have been playing for 3 hours.

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