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 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?

331 Common Verbs

The 331 most common verbs in the English language, according to the Macmillan Essential Dictionary.

 

Regular Verbs, Irregular verbs, Modal Verbs

accept	care	could	enjoy	happen	lead	open	reduce	settle	teach
account	carry	count	examine	hate	learn	order	refer	shake	tell
achieve	catch	cover	exist	have	leave	ought	reflect	shall	tend
act	cause	create	expect	head	lend	own	refuse	share	test
add	change	cross	experience	hear	let	pass	regard	shoot	thank
admit	charge	cry	explain	help	lie	pay	relate	should	think
affect	check	cut	express	hide	like	perform	release	shout	throw
afford	choose	damage	extend	hit	limit	pick	remain	show	touch
agree	claim	dance	face	hold	link	place	remember	shut	train
aim	clean	deal	fail	hope	listen	plan	remove	sing	travel
allow	clear	decide	fall	hurt	live	play	repeat	sit	treat
answer	climb	deliver	fasten	identify	look	point	replace	sleep	try
appear	close	demand	feed	imagine	lose	prefer	reply	smile	turn
apply	collect	deny	feel	improve	love	prepare	report	sort	understand
argue	come	depend	fight	include	make	present	represent	sound	use
arrange	commit	describe	fill	increase	manage	press	require	speak	used to
arrive	compare	design	find	indicate	mark	prevent	rest	stand	visit
ask	complain	destroy	finish	influence	matter	produce	result	start	vote
attack	complete	develop	fit	inform	may	promise	return	state	wait
avoid	concern	die	fly	intend	mean	protect	reveal	stay	walk
base	confirm	disappear	fold	introduce	measure	prove	ring	stick	want
be	connect	discover	follow	invite	meet	provide	rise	stop	warn
beat	consider	discuss	force	involve	mention	publish	roll	study	wash
become	consist	divide	forget	join	might	pull	run	succeed	watch
begin	contact	do	forgive	jump	mind	push	save	suffer	wear
believe	contain	draw	form	keep	miss	put	say	suggest	will
belong	continue	dress	found	kick	move	raise	see	suit	win
break	contribute	drink	gain	kill	must	reach	seem	supply	wish
build	control	drive	get	knock	need	read	sell	support	wonder
burn	cook	drop	give	know	notice	realize	send	suppose	work
buy	copy	eat	go	last	obtain	receive	separate	survive	worry
call	correct	enable	grow	laugh	occur	recognize	serve	take	would
can	cost	encourage	handle	lay	offer	record	set	talk	write
		end

Past Simple and Used To – Verb Form

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

PAST SIMPLE

Affirmative Statements

Subject	Base Verb + ED or Irregular Form
I	worked	hard.
You	went	to school in the morning.
She/he/it	rained	yesterday.
We	left	early.
They/you (plural)	sang	beautifully.

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Negative Statements

Subject	Did Not (didn’t)	Base Verb
I	didn’t	go	yesterday.
You	didn’t	see	me after class.
She/He/It	didn’t	rain	last week.
We	didn’t	run into	trouble.
They/You (plural)	didn’t	finish	your homework.

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Yes/No Questions

Did	Subject	Base Verb
Did	I	lose	my keys?
Did	you	make	that?
Did	she/he/it	go	to work?
Did	we	drive	too far?
Did	they/you (plural)	have	a good time?

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Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Did	No	Subject	Did Not (didn’t)
Yes,	I	did.	No,	I	didn’t.
Yes,	you	did.	No,	you	didn’t.
Yes,	she/he/it	did.	No,	she/he/it	didn’t.
Yes,	we	did.	No,	we	didn’t.
Yes,	they/you	did.	No,	they/you	didn’t.

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USED TO

Affirmative Statements

Subject	Used To	Base Verb
I	used to	get up	early.
You	used to	drink	coffee.
She/He/It	used to	be	hers.
We	used to	dance	every weekend.
They/You (plural)	used to	play	in the park.

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Negative Statements

Subject	Did Not (didn’t)	Use To	Base Verb
I	didn’t	use to	like	him.
You	didn’t	use to	smoke	cigarettes.
She/he/it	didn’t	use to	walk	to school.
We	didn’t	use to	travel	so often.
They/you (plural)	didn’t	use to	go	to school.

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Yes/No Questions

Did	Subject	Use To	Base Verb
Did	I	use to	be	so selfish?
Did	you	use to	live	in Argentina?
Did	she/he/it	used to	get	start later?
Did	we	use to	play	on Saturdays or Sundays?
Did	they/you	use to	eat	lots of junk food?

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Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Did	No	Subject	Did Not (didn’t)
Yes,	I	did.	No,	I	didn’t.
Yes,	you	did.	No,	you	didn’t
Yes,	she/he/it	did.	No,	she/he/it	didn’t
Yes,	we	did.	No,	we	didn’t
Yes,	they/you	did	No,	they/you	didn’t

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Information Questions

Wh- Word	Did	Subject	Use To	Base Verb
Why	did	I	use to	love	him?
When	did	you	use to	live	in Miami?
Where	did	they	use to	eat	out?

Wh- Word			Used To	Base Verb
Who			used to	run	marathons?
What			used to	be	over there?

• Do not use did in information questions when who or what is the subject. Use used to with these questions.

Past Simple and Used To – Verb Meaning and Use

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

PAST SIMPLE

We use the Past Simple to talk about a state or action that started and finished in the past. We use time expressions to describe the time period.

• She lived in Tokyo in 2010.
• We went to school yesterday.
• They played hockey on Saturday.
• Winter was cold last year.

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The actions or states can happen in the recent past (a short time ago), or the distant past (a long time ago).

Recent Past                                                                        Distant Past

He arrived ten minutes ago.                                     They moved to Dubai in 2001.

She felt tired yesterday.                                              He was very sick last year.

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The actions or states can last for a short or long period of time.

Short Period of Time                                                       Long Period of Time

The rain lasted for five minutes.                                The rain lasted for days.

I worked there for two weeks.                                    I worked there for 12 years.

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The actions or states can happen once, or repeatedly.

Happened Once                                                            Happened Repeatedly

He moved to Seoul in 2008.                                  He always walked to work.

She arrived late yesterday.                                    She always arrived late.

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USED TO

Used to suggests that a habit or situation was true in the past, but is not true now. We use used to for repeated or habitual actions or states that started and finished in the past. Do not use it for actions or states that happened only once. Adverbs of frequency and other time expressions with used to emphasize the repeated actions or states.

• He used to smoke, but he quit last year.
• We often used to visit my grandparents before they passed away.
• She used to live in Sidney before she moved to Prague.

You can use the Simple Present with time expressions to show how a present situation is different from the past.

• I used to watch TV after school.  Now I don’t have time for that.
• People used to get their new from newspapers or the radio. These days most people get their news from the internet.

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.

 

Present Simple – Verb Forms

The Present Simple verb tense is very common in the English language, so it’s important to understand it well.  The form you see here applies to all verbs, except the irregular verb “to be”, which must be memorized.

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

Don’t forget the “s” or “es” with he/she/it!!

Affirmative Statements

Subject	Base Verb or Base Verb + -s/-es
I	eat	vegetables.
You	eat	breakfast at 8:00.
He/she/it	eats	very slowly.
We	eat	what we like.
They/you (plural)	eat	healthy food.

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Negative Statements

Subject	Do not or Does not	Base Verb
I	do not (don’t)	like	spiders.
You	do not (don’t)	cook	on the weekends.
He/she/it	does not (doesn’t)	live	in Tokyo.
We	do not (don’t)	travel	in the winter.
They/you (plural)	do not (don’t)	walk	to school.

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Yes/No Questions

Do/Does	Subject	Base Verb
Do	you	play	baseball?
Does	he/she	play	the piano?
Do	they/you (plural)	play	well?

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Information Questions

Wh- Word	Do/Does	Subject	Base Verb
Who	do	you	teach	on Mondays?
What	does	he	study	at university?
When	does	she	travel	to Europe?
Where	does	the bus (it)	go?
Why	do	they	yell	at their kids?
How	do	they	make	baby carrots?

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Short Answers.

NO	Subject	Do not or Does not
No,	I	do not (don’t).
No	you	do not (don’t).
No	he/she/it	does not (doesn’t)
No	we	do not (don’t).
No	they/you (plural)	do not (don’t).

 

Say vs. Tell

Say is used with direct speech and is never followed by a direct personal object.  In other words, we don’t say who is being spoken to.

✔ “Those cookies smell good” said Jessica.

✔ Jessica said, “Those cookies smell good”.

✘ “Those cookies smell good” Jessica said him.

✔ “I really do love computers!” Daniel said.

✔ Daniel said, “I really do love computers!”.

✘ “I really do love computers!” Daniel said me.

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Say is also used with indirect (reported) speech, with a “that” clause, although the conjunction “that” isn’t usually used.

✔ She said (that) she was going to the party.

✘ She said me (that) she was going to the party.

✔ They said (that) they were unhappy with the service.

✘ They said us (that) they were unhappy with the service.

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Tell is only used with indirect (reported) speech and is always followed by a direct personal object.  In other words, we say who is being spoken to.  (Exceptions: Tell a story, tell the truth, tell a lie, tell the future, tell the time)

✔ She told him (that) she loved him.

✘ She told (that) she loved him.

✘ She said him (that) she loved him.

✔ We told them  (that) we were driving to Seattle.

✘ We told (that) we were driving to Seattle.

✘ We said them (that) we were driving to Seattle.

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Tell is often used with an object + infinitive to express requests, instructions, orders, and advice.

• I told him to get some milk from the store. (request)
• He told me to turn left on Main Street. (directions)
• She told him to leave. (order)
• We told her not to worry. (advice)

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Say and tell cannot be used with indirect (reported) questions.  In this case, we must replace say or tell with ask.

✔ James asked me to go with him.

✘ James told me (that) “will you go with me?”.

Can vs. Be Able To

There is often some confusion about can and be able to, so let’s see if I can clear that up a bit for you.

Can and be able to are often interchangeable and you can usually use either one without a difference in meaning.  But not always.

Can is a  modal auxiliary verb that expresses general ability in the Present tense, or could for general ability in the Past tense.

Be able to is not a modal auxiliary verb, it’s just the verb “be” + the adverb “able” + the infinitive “to”. 

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Present Ability. We use both can and be able to, but can is much more common:

✔ James can speak three languages.

✔ James is able to speak three languages.

✔ Michelle can easily multitask.

✔ Michelle is able to easily multitask.

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Future Ability. We only use will be able to to talk about a future skill or ability that you don’t have yet, but you will have in the future. We never use can for an ability that you will only have in the future:

✔ When I finish training I will be able to run a 5 minute mile.

✘ When I finish training I can run a 5 minute mile.

✔ I will be able to see better when I get new glasses.

✘ I can see better when I get new glasses.

We use either can or be able to when we are talking about decisions and future arrangements:

✔ The doctor can see you next Monday.

✔ The doctor is able to see you next Monday.

✔ I’m busy now, but I can help you in an hour.

✔ I’m busy now, but I’ll be able to help you in an hour.

✔ Mom can drive you to school tomorrow.

✔ Mom is able to drive you to school tomorrow.

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Past Ability.  We use could or was/were able to to talk about an ability that existed for a long time in the past, but which isn’t true now:

✔ When I was young, I was able to eat like a pig and not get fat.

✔ When I was young, I could eat like a pig and not get fat.

✔ When I was a teenager, I could stay up all night without getting tired.

✔ When I was a teenager, I was able to stay up all night without getting tired.

We only use was/were able to with action verbs to talk about an ability related to a single event:

✔ We were able to go sailing yesterday because the weather was so nice.

✘ We could go sailing yesterday because the weather was so nice.

✔ I was able to file my taxes online this year.

✘ I could file my taxes online this year.

✔ Yesterday we were able to get tickets for the concert.

✘ Yesterday we could get tickets for the concert.

But we use either can or was/were able to with some stative verbs (see, hear, feel, taste) to talk about an ability related to a single event:

✔ Were you able to see the fireworks from your balcony last night?

✔ Could you see the fireworks from your balcony last night?

✔ I was able to taste the salt in her cooking.

✔ I could taste the salt in her cooking.

✔ Because I was sitting in the front row, I was able to hear the teacher clearly.

✔ Because I was sitting in the front row, I could hear the teacher clearly.

We use couldn’t or wasn’t/weren’t able to for negative statements for both single events and a long period of time:

✔ Yesterday he wasn’t able to finish his dinner.

✔ Yesterday he couldn’t finish his dinner.

✔ I wasn’t able to swim when I was younger.

✔ I couldn’t swim when I was younger.

✔ We weren’t able to get tickets for the concert.

✔ We couldn’t get tickets for the concert.

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Here is a visual chart to help you out:

	Can/Could (affirmative)		Cannot/Can’t/Couldn’t		Be Able To (affirmative)		Be Able To (negative)
Past Ability	She could read when she was five.		She couldn’t read when she was five.		She was able to read when she was five.		She wasn’t able to read when she was five.
Past Repeated Actions	When they were young, they could run marathons.		When they were young, they couldn’t run marathons.		When they were young, they were able to run marathons.		When they were young, they weren’t able to run marathons.
Past, Single Action, Stative Verb	I could feel the wind in my hair.		I couldn’t feel the wind in my hair.		I was able to feel the wind in my hair.		I wasn’t able to feel the wind in my hair.
Past, Single Action, Action Verb	NOT POSSIBLE!!		I couldn’t get tickets for the concert.		I was able to get tickets for the concert.		I wasn’t able to get tickets for the concert.
Present Ability	They can speak Italian.		They can’t speak Italian.		They are able to speak Italian.		They aren’t able to speak Italian.
Future Ability or Skill	NOT POSSIBLE!!				When we pass our driver’s exam, we will be able to drive a car.
Future Decisions and Arrangements	The dentist can see you tomorrow morning.		The dentist can’t see you tomorrow morning.		The dentist will be able to see you tomorrow morning.		The dentist won’t be able to see you tomorrow morning.