All Twelve English Verb Tenses

Here is an overview of all 12 English verb tenses, their forms, and how to use them.

FORM:	MEANING AND USE:
Present Simple ~Verb Form	Present Simple ~Verb Use
Present Progressive ~Verb Form	Present Progressive ~Verb Use
Present Perfect Progressive ~Verb Form	Present Perfect Progressive ~Verb Use
Past Simple ~Verb Form	Past Simple ~Verb Use
Past Progressive ~Verb Form	Past Progressive ~Verb Use
Past Perfect ~Verb Form	Past Perfect ~Verb Use
Past Perfect Progressive ~Verb Form	Past Perfect Progressive ~Verb Use
Future Simple ~Verb Form	Future Simple ~Verb Use
Future Progressive ~Verb Form	Future Progressive ~Verb Use
Future Perfect~Verb Form	Future Perfect ~Verb Use
Future Perfect Progressive ~Verb Form	Future Perfect Progressive ~Verb Use

 

Future Simple – Verb Form

This post will show you how to form the Future Simple. To see how to use the Future Simple, click here.

The FOUR future forms are: Be Going To, Present Progressive (also called the Present Continuous), Will, and the Present Simple.

THE FUTURE WITH BE GOING TO

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Affirmative Statements

Subject	Be	Going To	Base Verb
I	am	going to	help	later.
You	are	going to	work	tomorrow.
She/He/It	is	going to	rain	again.
We	are	going to	have	so much fun!
They/You (plural)	are	going to	send	her a package.

Negative Statements

Subject	Be	Not	Going To	Base Verb
I	am	not	going to	finish	in time.
You	are	not	going to	go	away this weekend.
She/He/It	is	not	going to	see	the doctor.
We	are	not	going to	cook	dinner
They/You (plural)	are	not	going to	buy	a new car.

Yes/No Questions

Be	Subject	Going To	Base Verb
Am	I	going to	be	okay?
Are	you	going to	clean	the house?
Is	she/he/it	going to	study	next semester?
Are	we	going to	stick	to the plan?
Are	they/you (plural)	going to	live	in New Zealand?

Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Be	No	Subject + Be + Not
Yes,	I	am.	No,	I’m not.
Yes,	he	is.	No,	he’s not.
Yes,	they	are.	No,	they’re not.

Information Questions

WH- Word	Be	Subject	Going To	Base Verb
Who	are	you	going to	call	later?
What	is	she	going to	do	tomorrow?
When	are	they	going to	study	at the library?
Who (subject)	is		going to	win	the election?
What (subject)	is		going to	happen	next?

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THE FUTURE WITH THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS/PROGRESSIVE

Affirmative Statements

Subject +Be	Verb + ing
I’m	helping	later.
You ‘re	moving	next week.
She’s/He’s/It’s	coming	tomorrow.
We’re	cooking	dinner tonight.
They’re/You’re	changing	schools next month.

Negative Statements

Subject + Be

Not

Verb + ing

I’m

not

leaving

yet.

You’re

not

taking

an exam tomorrow.

She’s/He’s/It’s

not

playing

soccer next Saturday.

We’re

not

staying

with relatives.

They’re/You’re

not

graduating

this semester.

Yes/No Questions

Be	Subject	Verb + ing
Am	I	going	to work tomorrow?
Are	you	moving	to Japan?
Is	she/he/it	going	to Europe next summer?
Are	we	doing	anything for Valentine’s Day?
Are	they/you (plural)	coming	to the party this weekend?

Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Be	No	Subject + Be + Not
Yes,	I	am.	No,	I’m not.
Yes,	he	is.	No,	he’s not.
Yes,	they	are.	No,	they’re not.

Information Questions

WH- Word	Be	Subject	Verb + ing
Who	are	you	calling	later?
What	is	she	doing	tomorrow?
When	are	they	studying	at the library?
Who (subject)	is		going	to head office?
What (subject)	is		happening	next?

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THE FUTURE WITH WILL + BASE VERB

Affirmative Statements

Subject + Will	Adverb	Base Verb
I’ll		study	much harder, I promise.
You’ll		be	cold without a jacket.
She’ll/He’ll/It’ll	most likely	have	a good time at the party.
We’ll	hopefully	see	piranhas in the Amazon.
They’ll/You’ll (plural)	probably	do	their homework in the morning.

Negative Statements

Subject	Adverb	Will + Not (won’t)	Base Verb
I	probably	won’t	exercise	tomorrow.
You		won’t	be	happy about this.
She/He/It		won’t	spend	the summer in Hollywood.
We	most likely	won’t	live	on Mars in the future.
They/You (plural)	probably	won’t	like	the weather in Wisconsin.

Yes/No Questions

Will	Subject	Base Verb
Will	I	see	you next week?
Will	you	do	me a favor?
Will	she/he/it	finish	this soon?
Will	we	work	full-time?
Will	they/you (plural)	be	on time for class tomorrow?

Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Will	No	Subject + Will + Not
Yes,	I	will.	No,	I won’t.
Yes,	he	will.	No,	he won’t.
Yes,	they	will.	No,	they won’t.

Information Questions

WH- Word	Will	Subject	Base Verb
Who	will	you	call	later?
What	will	she	do	tomorrow?
When	will	they	study	at the library?
Who (subject)	will		go	to head office?
What (subject)	will		happen	next?

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FURURE WITH PRESENT SIMPLE

Affirmative Statements

Subject	Present Simple
I	leave	on a 6:00 am flight.
You	arrive	tomorrow night.
She/He/It	starts	next fall.
We	open	the store at 9:00 am.
They/You (plural)	close	at 5:00 pm.

Negative Statements

Subject	Do Not (don’t), Does Not (doesn’t)	Present Simple
I	don’t	leave	on a 6:00 am flight.
You	don’t	arrive	tomorrow night.
She/He/It	doesn’t	start	next fall.
We	don’t	open	at 9:00 am.
They	don’t	close	at 5:00 pm.

Yes/No Questions

Do/Does	Subject	Present Simple
Do	I	work	early tomorrow?
Do	you	arrive	next week?
Does	she/he/it	start	on time?
Do	we	leave	after breakfast?
Do	they/you (plural)	go	to the airport this Sunday?

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Information Questions

WH- Word	Do/Does	Subject	Base Verb
Who	do	I	call	if I have a problem?
What	does	she	do	to register?
When	do	they	arrive	in Kenya?
Who (subject)			goes	to head office tomorrow?
What (subject)			happens	next?

Future Simple – Verb Meaning and Use

This post will show you how to use the Future Simple. To see how to form the Future Simple, click here.

We use Be Going To and the Present Continuous to talk about a planned event or future intention. A future time expression is usually stated or implied with the Present Continuous in order to avoid confusion.

Future with Be Going To

• I am going to study hard tonight for the test.
• He’s going to do the dishes after dinner.
• Why isn’t she going to work next week?

Future with Present Continuous

• I am studying hard tonight for the test.
• He’s doing the dishes after dinner.
• Why isn’t she working next week?

. Be Going To and the Present Continuous are usually similar, but not exactly the same. With Be Going To the speaker may not have an exact plan. With the Present Continuous, the plan is often more definite. Future with Be Going To

• I’m going to leave my job (someday). I’m so unhappy
• He’s going to buy a new car but he doesn’t know what kind yet.

Future with Present Continuous

• I’m leaving my job (next week). I have been so unhappy here.
• He’s buying a new car tomorrow! He has already chosen it.

. We use Be Going To for predictions, especially when there is evidence that something is just about to happen. Do not use the Present Continuous for predictions. Future predictions with Be Going To

• Be careful! That glass is going to fall!!
• That glass is falling. (incorrect)
• It’s cloudy. It’s going to rain tonight.
• It is raining tonight (incorrect)
• They’re going to win the game tonight. They are the better team.
• They are winning tonight (incorrect)

. Future with Will We use Will or Be Going To to make predictions or expectations. You can also use probably and other adverbs with Will and Be Going To to express certainty or uncertainty. Future with will

• Electric cars will become popular in the next ten years.
• Electric cars are going to become popular in the next ten years.
• They will probably win the championship.
• They are probably going to win the championship.
• It will warm up
• It’s going to warm up

With predictions, the meanings of Will and Be Going To are not exactly the same. Use Be Going To when you are more certain that an event will happen because there is evidence. Do not use Will in this situation. In this situation, Will needs a requirement to be met first.

• She’s going to have a baby. (She is pregnant)
• She will have a baby (If she gets married. She is not pregnant now).
• They are going to win (They are the best team)
• They will win tonight (if they can keep the ball).

. In statements with I, the first person, Will and Be Going To have different meanings. Will is often used to express a quick decision made at the time of speaking. Be Going To, however, shows that you have thought about something in advance. Do not use Be Going To for quick decisions. Will for quick decisions

• A: “Does anyone want to help me?” B: “I will help. What can I do?”
• A: “There’s someone at the door.” B: “I will answer ”
• A: “What would you like to eat today?” B: “I’ll have the soup and salad.”

Be Going To for advanced plans

• A: “What are your plans for the weekend?” B: “I’m going to help my sister move tomorrow.”
• A: “Do we have any alcohol for the party?” B: “Not yet. I’m going to pick it up

. In statements with I, Will is often used to express a promise. Will for promises

• I will do my homework.
• I won’t tell anyone!
• I will be on time.
• I won’t quit school.

. We use the Present Simple for future events, mostly schedules, which are out of our control. Future with Present Simple

• The plane leaves at 9:15 tomorrow.
• School starts at 8am and finishes at 3pm.
• The stores open at 9am everyday.
• He arrives on the 4 o’clock bus next Saturday.
• What time does the movie begin?

Present Progressive – Verb Meaning and Use

There are seven different ways to use the Present Progressive (also called the Present Continuous).  This tense is usually only used with active verbs, and if it is used with stative verbs there is a difference in meaning.

This post will show you how to use the Present Progressive. To see how to form the Present Progressive, click here.

1. The Present Progressive is used for activities in progress at the exact moment of speaking.  Time expressions such as now, right now, and at the moment often occur with the Present Progressive tense.

• Can you call back later? We are studying at the moment.
• Shhh!! I‘m trying to concentrate!
• Look, it‘s raining, again!!
• They‘re playing basketball.
• You are studying the Present Progressive right now.

2. The Present Progressive can also express the extended present, actions that are in progress but not happening at the exact moment of speaking. You can use time expressions such as this week or these days to show when the action is happening. The action may be ongoing, or may start and stop repeatedly.

• She‘s taking a computer course this semester.
• I‘m looking for a cheap car, do you have any ideas?
• They‘re renovating their kitchen this month, it‘s taking a long time.
• I‘m in the middle of reading a really good book.

3. Temporary situations can be expressed with the Present Progressive, if we feel that the situation is not permanent and won’t continue for a long time.

• I‘m staying with a friend this week.
• She‘s living in Seoul for a few months.
• Jack‘s working at a cafe until he finds a job in his field.

4. Temporary or new habits can also be expressed with the Present Progressive. (for regular habits that have continued for a long time, and are permanent, choose the Present Simple)

• I‘m drinking a lot of coffee this week!
• You‘re smoking too much.
• They‘re working late every night.

5. The Present Progressive is used to describe a situation which is slowly changing.

• My grades are improving this year.
• Technology is getting cheaper all the time.
• Global warming is becoming an important issue.
• My English is getting better!

6. The next use is for definite future plans, used with a future time expression.

• I‘m having lunch with Jackie tomorrow.
• We‘re going to France next week!
• She‘s leaving at three.
• They‘re going to the movies on the weekend.

7. And lastly, we use the Present Progressive to complain about a situation, usually with adverbs of frequency, such as always, constantly, continually, and forever.

• You‘re constantly missing the train.
• James is always losing his keys.
• She‘s forever talking on the phone.

Present Progressive – Verb Forms

The Present Progressive (also called the Present Continuous) tense is formed with two words, the “be” verb and a base verb+ing. This is the same for all verbs, regular and irregular.

This post will show you how to form the Present Progressive. To see how to use the Present Progressive, click here.

Affirmative Statements

Subject	Be	Base Verb + ing
I	am	working	today.
You	are	working	today.
He/she/it	is	working	today.
We	are	working	today.
They/you (plural)	are	working	today.

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Affirmative Contractions

I’m	working	today.
You’re	working	today.
He’s	working	today.
She’s	working	today.
It’s	working	today.
They’re	working	today.
You’re (plural)	working	today.

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Negative Statements

Subject	Be	Not	Base Verb + ing
I	am	not	working	today.
You	are	not	doing	anything right now.
He/she/it	is	not	washing	the dishes.
We	are	not	going	to Seattle.
They/you (plural)	are	not	playing	hockey.

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Negative Contractions

I’m not	sleeping	yet.
You’re not (or) You aren’t	cleaning	the house.
He’s not (or) He isn’t	singing	loudly.
It’s not (or) It isn’t	going	to rain today.
We’re not (or) We aren’t	driving	today.
They’re not (or) They aren’t	doing	much.
You’re not (or) You aren’t	brushing	your teeth.

Yes/No Questions.

Be	Subject	Base Verb + ing
Am	I	eating	chocolate?
Are	you	going	to school today?
Is	she	sleeping?
Is	it	raining	today?
Are	we	meeting	at noon?
Are	they	coming	to the party?
Are	you (plural)	waiting	for me?

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Information Questions

Wh- Word	Be	Subject	Base Verb + ing
How	am	I	doing	in this class?
Who	are	you	dating	these days?
What	is	he	eating?
When	are	we	leaving?
Where	are	they	going	to travel?
How	are	you	making	so much money?
Why	am	I	working	at this terrible job?

Wh- word (subject)	Be	Subject	Base Verb + ing
Who	is		laughing?
What	is		happening?

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Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Be
Yes,	I	am.
Yes,	you	are.
Yes,	he/she/it	is.
Yes,	we	are.
Yes,	they/you (plural)	are.

No	Subject + Be + Not
No,	I’m not.
No,	you’re not.
No,	he/she/it isn’t.
No,	we aren’t.
No,	they/you (plural) aren’t.

*Do not use contractions in affirmative short answers.

✔ Yes, I am.

✘ Yes, I’m.

✔ Yes, we are.

✘ Yes, we’re.