All 12 tenses with formulas, usage rules, examples and common time markers — your one-stop reference.
Every tense — explained with formula, usage and real examples. Click any card to study deeper.
Subject + V1 (s/es)
Habits, routines, facts, scheduled events.
Subject + am/is/are + V-ing
Actions in progress now, temporary situations.
Subject + have/has + V3
Past actions with present relevance, life experience.
Subject + have/has + been + V-ing
Action started in the past and continuing now.
Subject + V2
Completed actions in the past at a specific time.
Subject + was/were + V-ing
Action in progress at a past moment, interrupted actions.
Subject + had + V3
Action completed before another past action.
Subject + had been + V-ing
Duration of an action up to a past point.
Subject + will + V1
Predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises.
Subject + will be + V-ing
Action in progress at a specific future time.
Subject + will have + V3
Action completed before a specific future time.
Subject + will have been + V-ing
Duration of an action up to a future point.
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Subject + V1 (s/es)
Use it for things you do every day or facts that never change. Habits, facts, and timetables.
She go to school. → She goes to school. With he / she / it, add -s to the verb.
Subject + am / is / are + V-ing
Use it for things happening right now, or things true for a short time only. The action started but is not finished.
I am knowing the answer. → I know the answer. Feeling/thinking verbs (know, like, love, want, believe) are never used with -ing.
Subject + have / has + V3
This tense connects the past with now. The action happened in the past, but the exact time is not important, or the result is still here today.
I have seen him yesterday. → I saw him yesterday. If the time is over (yesterday, last week, ago), use Past Simple.
Subject + have / has + been + V-ing
Like Present Perfect, but it shows how long the action has been happening. It started in the past and is still going now — or it just stopped, and you can still see the result.
Don’t use it with feeling/thinking verbs (know, like, love). I have been knowing him for years. → I have known him for years.
Subject + V2 (regular: -ed)
Use it for things that started and finished in the past. The time is over. Most past stories use this tense.
I didn’t went. → I didn’t go. After did / didn’t, always use the base verb (V1).
Subject + was / were + V-ing
Use it for an action that was already happening at a moment in the past. It sets the scene — what was going on when something else happened.
If one action was already finished before another past action, use Past Perfect: she had already left.
Subject + had + V3
When two things happened in the past, use Past Perfect for the one that happened first. It’s the “past before the past” — it shows which came first.
Don’t use it alone — you need a second past action. I had eaten breakfast at 9am. → I ate breakfast at 9am. Past Perfect needs something else in the past to compare with.
Subject + had + been + V-ing
Like Past Perfect, but it shows how long something was happening before a past moment. It often tells us why things were a certain way.
Don’t mix it with Past Perfect. I had eaten = the action is finished. I had been eating = focus on how long it lasted.
Subject + will + V1
Use will when you decide something right now, when you guess what will happen, or when you offer or promise.
will = decided NOW. be going to = decided BEFORE. Phone rings → “I’ll get it!” (deciding now). Already planned → “I’m going to visit my grandma.” (planned earlier)
Subject + will + be + V-ing
Use it for an action that will be happening at a certain time in the future. Picture that future moment — what will be going on then?
Don’t use it with feeling/thinking verbs. I will be knowing. → I will know.
Subject + will + have + V3
Use it to say an action will be finished by a certain time in the future. It says, “by then, this will already be done.”
Don’t drop “have”. I will finished by Friday. → I will have finished by Friday.
Subject + will + have + been + V-ing
Like Future Perfect, but it shows how long the action will have been going on by a future point. This is the rarest tense — only use it when the duration is really important.
Rare in everyday English. Most people use Future Perfect instead. Use this one only when “how long” is the key idea.
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