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Introduction
Every sentence has a subject and a main verb. Verbs describe what the subject is doing. To be able to show exactly what the subject does at any time, verbs have different forms and tenses. In order to speak and write English correctly, you must learn the various verb forms and tenses.
Learning Hint:
To use verbs accurately, learn the standard verb forms and tenses. Memorize common irregular verb forms that do not follow standard forms.
Summary of Verb Tenses
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Present tenses
Simple present: She wants a drink.
Present continuous: They are walking home. -
Past tenses
Simple past: Peter lived in China in 1965.
Past continuous: I was reading when she arrived. -
Perfect tenses
Present Perfect: I have lived here since 1987.
Present perfect continuous: I have been living here for years.
Past perfect: We had been to see her several times before she visited us.
Past perfect continuous: He had been watching her for some time when she turned and smiled.
Future perfect: We will have arrived in the States by the time you get this letter.
Future perfect continuous: By the end of your course, you will have been studying for five years. -
Future tenses
Simple future: They will go to Italy next week.
Future continuous: I will be travelling by train. -
Conditional tenses
Type 1 conditionalIf he had the money he would go
Type 2 conditional He would be getting up now if he was in Australia.
Type 3 conditional She would have visited me if she had had time.
Perfect continuous conditional: I would have been playing tennis if I hadn't broken my arm.