Present Tense
Simple Present: An action that happens over and over in the present (think: daily habits)
Subject + base form of verb
- I study. He studies. We study every night.
Present Continuous: An action happening now
Subject + base form of verb + "ing"
- I am writing. She is writing now. We are writing poetry.
Present Perfect: An action that happened in the past, but also happens in the present; often uses the preposition "since" to indicate when the action started or "for" to indicate how long...
Subject + have/has + been + base verb + "ing"
- I have been learning. He has been learning Turkish for six months. We have been learning Turkish since 2019.
Past Tense
Simple Past: An action that happened in the past and is now finished
Subject + base form of verb + "ed"
- I followed. She followed us home. We followed the instructions.
Past Continuous: An action in the past that was interrupted by another action
Subject + was + base verb + "ing"
- I was reading when the phone rang. He was reading when the vase fell. We were reading when the storm started.
Past Perfect: An action in the past, usually related to another past event. A habitual action in the past that no longer happens.
Subject + had + base verb + "ed"
- I had loved music for years before I became a singer. She had loved her husband, but she left him anyway. We had loved dancing when we were young.
Past Perfect Continuous: An action that began in the past and continued for a length of time, but is now over (can use time prepositions, as with present perfect tense)
Subject + had been + base verb + "ing"
- I had been working there for nine years when I quit. He had been working on the novel since high school. We had been working on our fitness as a New Year's resolution.
Future Tense
Simple Future: An action that you are planning to do in the future
Subject + will + base verb
- I will visit. She will visit. We will visit our mother tomorrow.
Future Continuous: An action that will occur in the future for a length of time
Subject + will be + base verb + "ing"
- I will be going to the picnic. He will be going. We will be going shopping after work.
Future Perfect: An action in the future that will occur before another action will occur; often uses preposition "by" and prepositional phrases with "by"
Subject + will have + base verb + "ed"
- I will have showered by the time you call. He will have showered by bedtime. We will have showered by the time the guests arrive.
Future Perfect Continuous: An action in the future that will be happening for a length of time. A prediction of future, ongoing action at a specific point in time
Subject + will have + base verb + "ed"
- I will have been sleeping in my room for an hour. She will have been sleeping for hours by then. We will been sleeping for the day to recover from travel.
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