Basic Verb Tenses
Present Tenses
Simple Present
 This tense describes
present actions that are
habitual or facts that are
always true.
 I walk
 You walk
 He/She/It walks
 We walk
 They walk
Present Progressive
 This tense describes an
action occurring at the
moment of speaking or
writing.
 I am walking
 You are walking
 He/She/It is walking
 We are walking
 They are walking
What’s the difference?
It can be easy to confuse the simple present and the
present progressive tenses. In fact the two tenses can
be used to describe the same action, but the speaker
would use them at different times and in different
situations.
For instance, if you asked a friend what he or she was
doing, the friend might reply: “I am going to the store.”
However, if you asked your friend when he or she
shops, the friend might say “I go to the store on
Tuesdays.”
Present Perfect
 Present perfect describes
 I have walked
a present condition that
is influenced by past
events.
 “I have walked” means
that I am in the condition
of having walked.
 Though present perfect
describes past events it is
a present tense.
 You have walked
 He/She/It has walked
 We have walked
 They have walked
Past Tenses
Simple Past
 Use the past tense for
events that happened in
the past.
 I walked
 You walked
 He/She/It walked
 We walked
 They walked
Past Progressive
 Past progressive still
 I was walking
describes events that
have already happened,
but were ongoing, and is
often used to compare an
ongoing past event to an
event in the simple past.
 Ex. I was eating lunch
when I saw the car.
 You were walking
 He/She/It was walking
 We were walking
 They were walking
Past Perfect
 Past perfect is used for
 I had walked
past events which
occurred prior to another
past event.
 Ex.: I had eaten all the
sandwiches when you got
home.
 You had walked
 He/She/It had walked
 We had walked
 They had walked
Future Tenses
Simple Future
 Use the simple future
tense to describe events
that will happen in the
future.
 I will walk
 You will walk
 He/She/It will walk
 We will walk
 They will walk
Simple Future with “Going to”
 You can also use “going
to” to describe future
events.
 I am going to walk
 You are going to walk
 He/She/It is going to
walk
 We are going to walk
 They are going to walk
Future Progressive
 Use this tense for future
 I will be walking
ongoing events. It is
often used in the context
of other future events.
 Ex. I will be running
when the show comes on.
 Tip!: Notice how the
second verb “comes” is in
present tense, but still
refers to a future event.
 You will be walking
 He/She/It will be
walking
 We will be walking
 They will be walking
Future Perfect
 The future perfect tense
describes a future state
influenced by events that
took place prior to that
time.
 It also uses a second verb
in present tense that
really talks about a future
event.
 Ex. I will have eaten
supper by the time you
get home.
 I will have walked
 You will have walked
 He/She/It will have
walked
 We will have walked
 They will have walked