12 Types of Tenses in English | Definitions, Structures and Examples

Last updated on June 16th, 2025 at 09:56 am

Tenses are the fundamental pillars of English grammar. They help us to identify whether an action took place in the past, happens in the present, or will occur in the future. It’s very important to learn all types of tenses as far as English grammar is concerned. We can indicate the time of action by using a tense. Let’s see what the definition of tense in English is.

What is Tense in English Grammar?

The term ‘tense‘ has been taken from the Latin word ‘Tempus,’ which indicates the time of action. Now we can say tense is a word that describes the time of a verb. For example:

• I bought a book.
• He reads a novel.
• She will meet with her friends.

Note: All these three sentences refer to the time of action.

Types of Tense

There are three types of tenses in English grammar. They are:

1. Past Tense
2. Present Tense
3. Future Tense

All three types of tenses have four sub-types. They are:

• Indefinite
• Continuous
• Perfect
• Perfect Continuous

Past Indefinite Tense (simple past)

Past Indefinite Tense is usually used to indicate the completed action in the past or a past habit. For example:

• She described her story.
• I saw this person yesterday.
• He did his job quite easily.
• Mr. George made his statement last week.
• Mrs. Florida participated in the competition last month.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + past verb
• Negative: Subject + did not + base verb
• Interrogative: Did + subject + base verb?

Let us see the different forms of the Past Indefinite Tense in English grammar:

Note: Past Indefinite Tense takes ‘did’ as a helping verb before the subject of an interrogative sentence and ‘didn’t after the subject of the negative form of a sentence and the main verb remains unchanged.

Past Continuous Tense

Past Continuous Tense usually indicates the activity in the past, which was continued for some time. For example:

• I was running in the field.
• He was going to his campus.
• She was holding the mirror.
• They were making a profit from the business.
• Mr. Collin was running the industry.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + was/were + verb+ing
• Negative: Subject + was/were not + verb+ing
• Interrogative: Was/Were + subject + verb+ing?

Let us see the different forms of the Past Continuous Tense:

Note: Past Continuous Tense takes ‘was’ and ‘were’ as helping verbs. ‘Was’ is placed in case of first-person and third-person on the other hand ‘were’ is placed in case of the second person.

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense is placed between the two past actions that occurred before, and the later action is called Simple Past or Past Indefinite. For example:

• Selim had left before I came.
• Lina had gone from the program before we attended.
• He had bought some clothes before the shop closed.
• She had cooked good food before the guests came.
• They had played badminton before they took their dinner.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + had + past participle
• Negative: Subject + had not + past participle
• Interrogative: Had + subject + past participle?

Let us see the different forms of the Past Perfect Tense:

Note: Past Perfect Tense takes ‘had’ as a helping verb.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense describes an action that started and continued for some time in the past. In Past Perfect Continuous Tense, ‘since’ and ‘for’ can indicate how long the action continued in the past. For example:

• I had been walking since morning.
• He had been reading the book for one week.
• She had been joining the meeting since the evening.
• They had been coming for 1 year.
• Mr. Joseph had been attending the class before they left.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + had been + verb+ing
• Negative: Subject + had not been + verb+ing
• Interrogative: Had + subject + been + verb+ing?

Let us see the different forms of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

Present Indefinite Tense (simple present)

Present Indefinite Tense usually describes an action in the present time or depicts a habitual fact or a universal truth. For example:

• I read poetry.
• You play a new game.
• She dances well.
• He catches fish in the pond.
• They make a new design.
• The Himalayas is a great mountain.

Note: If a subject starts with a third person singular number, ‘s’ or ‘es’ added after the main verb. Interrogative sentences take ‘do’ and ‘does’ before the subject and Negative sentences takes ‘do not’ and ‘does not’ after the subject.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + base verb (add -s or -es for he/she/it)
• Negative: Subject + do/does not + base verb
• Interrogative: Do/Does + subject + base verb?

Let us see the different forms of the Present Indefinite Tense:

Present Continuous Tense

Present Indefinite Tense describes an action that is going on and continues in the near future. For example:

• I’m having my breakfast.
• You are doing a great job.
• They are helping poor people.
• He is going into the market.
• She is running a shop.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + am/is/are + verb+ing
• Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + verb+ing
• Interrogative: Am/Is/Are + subject + verb+ing?

Let us see the different forms of the Present Indefinite Tense:

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense describes an action that has been finished, but its consequence is still available. For example:

• I have completed my task.
• You have gone to the place.
• He has failed the examination.
• She has missed the train.
• They won the World Cup a few weeks ago.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + has/have + past participle
• Negative: Subject + has/have not + past participle
• Interrogative: Has/Have + subject + past participle?

Let us see the different forms of the Present Perfect Tense:

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense describes an action that started in the past and continues. For example:

• I have been working for three days.
• They have been staying home for six months.
• She has been living in this city since Friday.
• He has been suffering from mental diseases since Monday.
• The students have been missing their classes for one year.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + has/have been + verb+ing
• Negative: Subject + has/have not been + verb+ing
• Interrogative: Has/Have + subject + been + verb+ing?

Let us see the different forms of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

Future Indefinite Tense

Future Indefinite Tense describes an action that will occur or happen in the future. For example:

• I will go to my campus.
• You will see the beautiful flowers.
• They will attend the meeting.
• She will meet her friends.
• He will be present in the examination hall.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + will + base verb
• Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + base verb
• Interrogative: Will + subject + base verb?

Let us see the different forms of the Future Indefinite Tense:

Future Continuous Tense

Future Indefinite Tense describes an action going on in the future. For example:

• I will be eating vegetables.
• He will be walking in the street.
• We will be running the business.
• They will be coming to my home.
• Luna will be facing the situation.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + will be + verb+ing
• Negative: Subject + will not be + verb+ing
• Interrogative: Will + subject + be + verb+ing?

Let us see the different forms of the Future Continuous Tense:

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Tense describes an action that will be completed by a certain time in the future. When two actions occur in the future, the first is considered the Future Perfect Tense, and the second is the Simple Present Tense. For example:

• I will have done my task before you come.
• He will have gone there to meet you.
• She will have written a new story.
• We will have enjoyed the match before you know.
• She will have finished the book by Saturday.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + will have + past participle
• Negative: Subject + will not have + past participle
• Interrogative: Will + subject + have + past participle?

Let us see the different forms of the Future Perfect Tense:

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense describes an action that will have been continuing at a certain time in the future. When two actions occur in the future, the first is considered the Future Perfect Continuous Tense, and the second is the Simple Present Tense. For example:

• I will have been doing it for you before you want.
• I will have been studying for three hours by 6 PM.
• They will have been paying the price for their misdeed.
• He will have been reading the book before Mr. Jim arrives.
• The teacher will have been taking the class for two hours.

Structure:

• Affirmative: Subject + will have been + verb+ing
• Negative: Subject + will not have been + verb+ing
• Interrogative: Will + subject + have been + verb+ing?

Let us see the different forms of the Future Perfect Continuous Tense:

12 Types of Tenses: At a Glance

Let’s have a quick look at the 12 types of tenses in English grammar.

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Azizul Hakim

Azizul Hakim is the founder & CEO of englishfinders.com. He is a passionate writer, English instructor, and content creator. He has completed his graduation and post-graduation in English language and literature.