Mastering the 12 English Tenses: Easy Rules and Examples
The 12 English tenses can be tricky, but mastering them is essential for speaking and writing fluently. These tenses help us describe actions and events in different time frames, whether in the present, past, or future. In this blog, we’ll break down the 12 English tenses with simple rules and examples, so you can easily understand and use them in everyday conversations.
What Are Tenses in English?
Tenses are forms of verbs that show when an action happens — in the past, present, or future.
Each tense tells us not just when something happens, but how it happens too.
Quick Fact:
In English, there are 12 basic tenses you must know!
The 12 Tenses of English Grammar
Here’s the full list of tenses we will explore today:
The Present Simple is your go-to tense for habits, routines, and facts.
Be as a Verb
“Be” changes based on the subject. Here’s the cheat sheet:
Positive
Negative
- This is my brother.
- He’s ten years old.
- I’m a student.
- These are my books.
- They aren’t at home.
- They’re at the theatre.
- There are some good cafes in the centre of the town.
- There’s a supermarket in this street.
- There is a bus to Chennai at six o’clock.
- There are taxis, but there aren’t any buses on Sunday.
- There isn’t another train to Delhi
- Am I late for the film?
- Are you twenty years old?
- Is he at home now?
- Is she French or Italian?
- Is it time to go home?
- Are we ready to leave?
- Are you both at university?
- Are they in Mumbai today?
- I know the answer.
- She starts work at 9.30 a.m.
We add Verb+S after he/she/it:
- I start – he starts
- I live – she lives
If a verb ends in –ch, -o, -sh or –ss, we add –es after he/she/it:
- I watch – he watches
- you do – he does
- they go – it goes
- we wash – she washes
If a verb ends in a consonant (b, c, etc.) + y (e.g. study), we use –ies after he/she/it:
- I study – he studies
- I fly – it flies
Adverbs of Frequency (with verbs)
- I usually / always / sometimes / rarely / never write letters.
- I write letters once / ten times a week / year.
(With Be Verbs)
- I am a student. They are not here.
- Is she always friendly? Yes, she is always friendly
Examples:
- I play tennis.
- She does not play tennis.
- Does he play tennis?
- The train leaves every morning at 8 a.m.
- The train does not leave at 9 a.m.
- When does the train usually leave?
- She always forgets her purse.
- He never forgets his wallet.
- Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
- Does the Sun circle the Earth?
- The train leaves tonight at 6 p.m.
- The bus does not arrive at 11 a.m.; it arrives at 11 p.m.
- When do we board the plane?
- The party starts at 8 o’clock.
Statement: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
Negative: You do not speak English.
Statement: He speaks English.
Question: Does he speak English?
Negative: He does not speak English.
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Actions happening right now or near the present.
Structure:
Subject + am/is/are + Verb + -ing
Positive sentences
- He is polishing his car.
- BMW car is making a very strange noise.
- John is blowing his nose.
- Sara is carrying her handbag.
- We are going to the movies.
- I am playing cricket.
Negative sentences
- He is not polishing his car.
- BMW car is not making a very strange noise.
- John is not blowing his nose.
- Sara is not carrying her handbag.
- We are not going to the movies.
- I am not playing cricket.
Yes or No types Questions (Closed form)
- Is he polishing his car?
- Is BMW car making a very strange noise?
- Is John blowing his nose?
- Is Sara carrying her handbag?
- Are we going to the movies?
- Are you playing cricket?
‘Wh’ Questions (Open form)
- What is he polishing?
- What kind of noise is BMW car making?
- Where is John blowing?
- What is Sara carrying with her?
- Where are you going?
- What are you playing?
Examples:
- I am meeting some friends after work.
- I am not going to the party tonight.
- Is he visiting his parents next weekend?
- Isn’t he coming with us tonight?
3. Present Perfect Tense
Usage:
Actions completed recently or that still affect the present.
Structure:
Subject + have/has + Past Participle
Positive sentences:
- I have visited Australia before.
- The army has battled the enemy strongly.
- The principal has introduced the new teacher. She seems very nice.
- The doctor has written a book about disease prevention. It will be published
soon. - You have showed that you are a hard worker. Good Job!
- He has believed her since 2000.
Negative sentences
- I haven’t visited Australia before.
- The army hasn’t battled the enemy.
- The principal has not introduced the new teacher. She seems very nice.
- The doctor has not written a book about disease prevention. It will be
published soon. - You have not showed that you are a hard worker. Good Job!
- He has not believed her since 2000.
Yes or No types Questions (Closed form)
- Have you visited Australia before?
- Has the army battled the enemy?
- Has the principal introduced the new teacher?
- Has the doctor written a book about disease prevention?
- Have you showed that you are a hard worker?
- Has he believed her since 2000?
‘Wh’ Questions (Open form)
- Where have you visited?
- How has the army battled the enemy?
- Whom has the principal introduced
- What has the doctor written?
- How have you showed?
- Who has he believed?
Examples:
- I have seen that movie twenty times.
- I think I have met him once before.
- There have been many earthquakes in California.
- People have travelled to the Moon.
- People have not travelled to Mars.
- Have you read the book yet?
- Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
- A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
- B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.
- I think I have seen that movie before.
- He has never travelled by train.
- Joan has studied two foreign languages.
- A: Have you ever met him?
- B: No, I have not met him.
- You have grown since the last time I saw you.
- The government has become more interested in arts education.
- Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university
since the Asian studies program was established. - My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.
- Man has walked on the Moon.
- Our son has learned how to read.
- Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
- Scientists have split the atom.
- The army has attacked that city five times.
- I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.
- We have had many major problems while working on this project.
- She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows
why she is sick. - A: have you finished your homework yet?
- B: No, not yet. I haven’t finished yet.
- A: would you like a coffee?
- B: No thanks. I’ve just had one.
- My sister’s just started a new job.
- A: Do you want to see this film?
- B: No, I’ve already seen it three times.
- A: Shall I buy a newspaper?
- B: No, I’ve already bought one.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Usage:
Actions that started in the past and are still continuing.
Structure:
Subject + have/has been + Verb + -ing
Example:
I have been working since morning.
They have been watching TV for hours.
They have been talking for the last hour.
She has been working at that company for three years.
What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
James has been teaching at the university since June.
We have been waiting here for over two hours!
Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days
Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
She has been watching too much television lately.
Have you been exercising lately?
Mary has been feeling a little depressed.
Lisa has not been practicing her English.
What have you been doing?
How long have you been learning English?
He’s been working here since April.
They’ve been going out together for three years.
5. Simple Past Tense
Usage:
Completed actions in the past.
Structure:
Subject + Verb (past form)
Examples:
- He was my trainer in college, he was not my friend
- There was a lake before and people drank water from it. There wasn’t a
motor pump. - She was a kid when I met her. However, she wasn’t short like other children
of her age. - I saw a movie yesterday.
- I didn’t see a play yesterday.
- Last year, I travelled to Japan.
- Last year, I didn’t travel to Korea.
- Did you have dinner last night?
- She washed her car.
- He didn’t wash his car.
- I lived in Brazil for two years.
- Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
- They sat at the beach all day.
- They did not stay at the party the entire time.
- We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
- A: How long did you wait for them?
- B: We waited for one hour.
- She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
- He didn’t like tomatoes before.
- Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
- People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.
6. Past Continuous Tense
Usage:
Actions that were happening at a particular time in the past.
Structure:
Subject + was/were + Verb + -ing
Positive sentences
- She was crying yesterday.
- They were climbing on a hill.
- They were laughing at the joker.
- He was taking exam last month.
- You were waiting for him yesterday.
Negative sentences
- She was not crying yesterday
- They were not climbing on a hill.
- They were not laughing at the joker.
- He was not taking exam last month.
- You were not waiting for him yesterday.
Yes or No types Questions (Closed form)
- Was she crying yesterday?
- Were they climbing on a hill?
- Were they laughing at the joker?
- Was he taking exam last month?
- Were you waiting for him yesterday?
‘Wh’ Questions (Open form)
- When was she crying?
- Where were they climbing?
- Whom were they laughing?
- When was he taking exam?
- When were you waiting for him?
Examples:
- I was watching TV when she called.
- When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
- While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
- What were you doing when the earthquake started?
- I was listening to my iPod, so I didn’t hear the fire alarm.
- You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
- While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
- Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
- While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
- A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
- B: I was snowboarding.
- In 2010. I was living in Poland.
- At 11 o’clock, he was waiting near the fountain.
- When they arrived, I was cooking dinner.
- I was reading my book when the plane took off.
- When I was driving to work, my car broke down.
7. Past Perfect Tense
Usage:
Actions completed before another past action.
Structure:
Subject + had + Past Participle
Examples:
- When they turned on the TV, the match had finished.
- I felt nervous because I hadn’t flown in an aeroplane before.
- I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Marina.
- I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
- Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
- Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
- She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
- Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
- We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in
advance. - A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
- B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.
- Statement: You had studied English before you moved to New York.
- Question: Had you studied English before you moved to New York.
Negative:
- You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
- When I got home, my goldfish had disappeared.
- I was late because my car had broken down.
- We’d never been to a concert before, so we were very excited.
Using narrative tenses together
- When John arrived they had dinner, (first john arrived, and then they had dinner)
- When John arrived, they were having dinner. (When John arrived they werein the middle of dinner)
- When John arrived, they had had dinner. (They had finished dinner before John arrived)
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Usage:
Ongoing actions that were happening up until another point in the past.
Structure:
Subject + had been + Verb + -ing
Examples:
They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.
How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.
James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia.
A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara?
B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.
Usage:
Actions that will happen in the future.
Structure:
Subject + will + Base Verb
Examples:
Positive Sentences
Listen, team: We will win the trophy this year!
Jennifer Lopez will conduct the orchestra tonight.
The new employee will start work soon.
The surgeon will operate on Tuesday morning.
Our family will gather for a reunion next week.
Silas will throw the discus today at the track meet.
Negative Sentences
Listen, team: We will not win the trophy this year!
Jennifer Lopez will not conduct the orchestra tonight.
The new employee will not start work soon.
The surgeon will not operate on Tuesday morning.
Our family will not gather for a reunion next week.
Silas will not throw the discus today at the track meet.
Yes/No Type Questions (Closed Form)
Listen, team: Will we win the trophy this year?
Will Jennifer Lopez conduct the orchestra tonight?
Will the new employee start work soon?
Will the surgeon operate on Tuesday morning?
Will our family gather for a reunion next week?
Will Silas throw the discus today at the track meet?
‘Wh’ Questions (Open Form)
When will we win the trophy?
Who will conduct the orchestra tonight?
When will the new employee start work?
When will the surgeon operate?
When will our family gather?
When will Silas throw the discus at the track meet?
Usage:
Actions that will be happening at a certain time in the future.
Structure:
Subject + will be + Verb + -ing
Examples:
Positive Sentences
We will be shifting to a new home next year.
He will be flying a kite.
It will be raining tomorrow.
She will be enjoying her vacation.
He will be expecting honesty from his employees.
She will be delivering a speech to the people.
Negative Sentences
We will not be shifting to a new home next year.
He will not be flying a kite.
It will not be raining tomorrow.
She will not be enjoying her vacation.
He will not be expecting honesty from his employees.
She will not be delivering a speech to the people.
Yes/No Type Questions (Closed Form)
Will we be shifting to a new home next year?
Will he be flying a kite?
Will it be raining tomorrow?
Will she be enjoying her vacation?
Will he be expecting honesty from his employees?
Will she be delivering a speech to the people?
‘Wh’ Questions (Open Form)
When will we be shifting to a new home?
What will he be flying?
When will it be raining?
When will she be enjoying her vacation?
What will he be expecting from his employees?
What will she be delivering to the people?
11. Future Perfect Tense
Usage:
Actions that will be completed before a certain future time.
Structure:
Subject + will have + Past Participle
Examples:
By next November, I will have received my promotion.
By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.
I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o’clock.
Will she have learned enough Chinese to communicate before she moves to Beijing?
Sam is probably going to have completed the proposal by the time he leaves this afternoon.
By the time I finish this course, I will have taken ten tests.
How many countries are you going to have visited by the time you turn 50?
12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Usage:
Ongoing future actions that continue up to a specific point.
Structure:
Subject + will have been + Verb + -ing
Examples:
They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.
She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it finally closes.
James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he leaves for Asia.
How long will you have been studying when you graduate?
We are going to have been driving for over three days straight when we get to Anchorage.
A: When you finish your English course, will you have been living in New Zealand for over a year?
B: No, I will not have been living here that long.
Reported Speech – Tenses
Tenses in Passive Voice
Final Thoughts
Understanding tenses isn’t just about memorizing rules — it’s about unlocking the power to express time, emotions, and experiences with clarity and confidence.
Each tense you’ve learned is like a tool in your communication toolbox — helping you paint vivid pictures of the past, present, and future. Whether you’re describing a moment, narrating a memory, or sharing your plans, the right tense brings your words to life.
Remember:
🔹 Tenses are not tough. They’re just timelines made simple.
🔹 Mistakes are stepping stones. Every error is a lesson in disguise.
🔹 Practice brings fluency. The more you use them, the more natural they’ll feel.
So go ahead — speak, write, and think in English with confidence. This guide is your roadmap, but your voice is the journey.
Keep learning. Keep improving. And most importantly, keep speaking with purpose.
You’re not just learning tenses — you’re mastering the language of time.
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