Tense Chart

A tense chart shows all the tenses in one place to help learn the rules quickly. It helps learners use verb forms correctly in speech and writing. There are three main tenses in English: Present, Past, and Future. Each tense has four types: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

• Simple Tenses show regular or repeated actions or general truths.
• Continuous Tenses show actions happening now or over some time.
• Perfect Tenses show actions that finished or happened before a specific time.
• Perfect Continuous Tenses show actions happening over time and still continuing.

What is Tense?

• The Oxford Dictionary defines tense as a verb form that indicates the timing of an action or event.
• The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes tense as a verb form that indicates the time or length of an action or state.
• The Collins Dictionary states that tense is a verb form that shows when an action occurs.
• The Cambridge Dictionary explains tense as a verb form that shows when an action takes place.

Types of Tense

In English grammar, there are three types of tenses:

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

Each tense has four forms:

• Simple
• Perfect
• Continuous
• Perfect Continuous

Tense Chart

The tense chart is given below.

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Tense Chart with Rules and Examples

Here is a Tense Chart with rules and examples. Formulas are provided in a table to help understand tenses easily.

Present Tense 

The present tense shows actions or events happening now. It describes activities that are ongoing or occur regularly. The verb form reflects actions taking place at the current time.

Types of Present Tense

The present tense is divided into four types:

1. Simple Present Tense
2. Present Continuous Tense
3. Present Perfect Tense
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

This tense is used to describe actions happening now or regular activities.

Formula: Subject + Verb (base form/third person singular) + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• Soniya drinks a glass of milk before starting her homework.
• Sarah walks to the park every morning.
• Martin studies mathematics every evening.

2. Present Continuous Tense

This tense describes actions happening in the moment and continuing into the near future.

Formula: Subject + Helping Verb (am/is/are) + Verb + ing + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• The birds are flying in the sky.
• The children are eating ice cream in the yard.
• Smith is working in the office.

3. Present Perfect Tense

This tense is used for actions that happened in the past but are connected to the present.

Formula: Subject + Helping Verb (have/has) + Past Participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• They have visited the museum many times.
• He has completed his assignment.
• She has studied French for five years.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense shows actions that began in the past and continue in the present.

Formula: Subject + Have/Has + Been + Verb + ing + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• They have been waiting for the bus for an hour.
• He has been practicing the guitar for two hours.
• She has been studying for the exam all day.

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Past Tense

The past tense shows actions or events that have already happened. It describes activities that occurred at a specific time in the past. The verb form represents actions or states that took place earlier.

Types of Past Tense

In English grammar, the past tense has four types:

1. Simple Past Tense
2. Past Continuous Tense
3. Past Perfect Tense
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Past Tense

This tense describes actions or events that happened in the past.

Formula: Subject + Verb (past tense) + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• Raj went to the library yesterday.
• Arjun cleaned the house yesterday.
• I called my friend yesterday.

2. Past Continuous Tense

This tense describes actions or events that were ongoing at a specific time in the past.

Formula: Subject + Helping Verb (was/were) + Verb + ing + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

•  It was raining heavily this morning.
• They were playing football in the park.
• I was reading a book last night.
• The kids were laughing when the clown arrived.

3. Past Perfect Tense

This tense is used to describe actions that happened before another action or event in the past.

Formula: Subject + Helping Verb (had) + Past Participle of the main verb + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• They had finished their homework before the class started.
• I had already eaten when she called.
• He had visited the museum before it closed.

4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense describes actions that started and continued in the past until another action or event happened.

Formula: Subject + Had + Been + Verb + ing + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• He had been watching TV for hours when the power went out.
• I had been waiting for the bus for 30 minutes when it finally arrived.
•  John had been studying all night when he fell asleep at his desk.

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Future Tense

The future tense describes actions or events that will happen at a later time. It also shows actions that will continue at a specific point in the future.

Types of Future Tense

The future tense is divided into four types:

• Simple Future Tense
• Future Continuous Tense
• Future Perfect Tense
• Future Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Future Tense

This tense shows actions that will happen in the future.

Formula: Subject + will/shall + Verb (base form) + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• I will be preparing dinner for the family tonight.
• Maria will be painting the walls next week.
• They will be jogging in the park tomorrow morning.
•  John will be meeting his friends at the cafe later.

2. Future Continuous Tense

This tense shows actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future.

Formula: Subject + will be/shall be + Verb + ing + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

•  It will be snowing heavily in the coming week.
•  I will be enjoying a book later this evening.
•  They will be heading to the beach for a trip tomorrow.
•  The teacher will be delivering a lecture in the afternoon.

3. Future Perfect Tense

This tense shows actions that will be completed before a certain point in the future.

Formula: Subject + will have/shall have + Past Participle + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• I will have finished my homework by the time you arrive.
• They will have left by the time we get there.
• He will have cleaned the house by noon.

4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense describes actions that will have started in the past and will still be happening up to a specific point in the future.

Formula: Subject + will have been + Verb + ing + Since/For/From + rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• I will have been studying for two hours by the time you call.
• By the end of this month, I will have been working on this project for five weeks.
• When you arrive, I will have been waiting for an hour.