Examples of english tenses

Examples of English Tenses
English tenses
These are examples of the English tenses. The table is provided to help you recall the
different tenses studied in previous lessons. For more detailed explanations you should visit
the Grammar Study Pages and study the different tenses.

Other links related to English tenses
Tenses | Forms and Explanations
Exercises on tenses.
Explanations
Action that is repeated every Friday.
Habitual action.
Facts that are believed to be true.
Generalizations
Scheduled events in the near future
Explanations
Action that takes place now / at the
moment
Near future
Explanations
To talk about experiences
Past action that has the result in the
present.
Action which started in the past and
continued up to now.
Explanations
To show that something started in
the past and has continued up until
now.
To talk about an action that started
in the past and stopped recently.

To talk about an action that started
in the past and is continuing now.

Present Simple
I visit my uncle every Friday
Cats hate mice.
The sun rises in the morning.
The plane takes off at 10 o'clock tonight
Present Progressive
I am working on my computer
I am leaving tomorrow
Present Perfect
I have been to Italy.
She has read that book.
I have lived in this town for 12 years.
Present Perfect Progressive
He has been sleeping for the last 3 hours

The grass is wet because it has been raining all day
long.
I have been watching TV for 2 hours / since you left.


Explanations
Completed action in the past.
To talk about an action that started
in the past and stopped recently.
To talk about an action that started
in the past and is continuing now.
An action taking place in the middle

of another action.
Explanations
Actions happening at the same time
in the past.
Interrupted action in the past.
Explanations
Completed action before another
action in the past.
Explanations
To show that something started in
the past and continued up until
another action stopped it.
To show that something started in
the past and continued up until
another time in the past.
We use the Past Perfect Continuous
before another action in the past to
show cause and effect.
Explanations
Instant decisions
We use the simple future , when we
predict a future situation
We use the simple future with: "I
(don't) think...", "I expect...", "I am
sure...", "I wonder...", "probably".
Conditional sentence type one
Explanations
Action that will be taking place at
some time in the future.
Explanations

Completed action before another
action in the past

Past Simple
She left yesterday.
She woke up, had a shower and left.
If I had a million dollar, I would help the poor.
She was playing when the accident occurred.
Past Progressive
He was reading a newspaper while his wife was
preparing dinner.
Sh was reading a book when the light went off, had a
shower and left.
Past Perfect Simple
She had left when I arrived.
Past Perfect Progressive
They had been playing soccer when the accident
occurred
I had been living in that town for ten years before I
moved to New York.
I was so tired. I had been working for 6 hours.

Future Simple
I've left the door open; I'll close it.
She'll pass the exam. She's hardworking.
It will probably rain tonight

If I have enough time, I'll watch the film.
Future Progressive
When you arrive, I'll be sleeping .

Future Perfect
By tomorrow, I will have finished the work.


Explanations
Future Perfect Progressive
It is used to show that an action will She will have been working for over 8 hours by the
continue up until a particular event time her children arrive.
or time in the future.