Properly applying the correct tense to a verb is essential to helping readers understand when an action is happening.
There are 12 types of verb tenses including simple, perfect, and progressive. Learn about each verb tense and get examples of how to use verb tenses in writing.
Then, review your text with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker to catch common spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes (and make sure you’re using verb tenses correctly!).
Quick Reference Chart of 12 Verb Tense Examples
Considering there are 12 different verb tenses, here’s a quick overview of examples highlighting the differences between each tense.
| Verb Tense |
Verb Tense Examples |
| Simple Present Tense |
She arrives today. |
| Simple Past Tense |
She arrived yesterday. |
| Simple Future Tense |
She will arrive tomorrow. |
| Present Perfect Tense |
She has arrived on time all year. |
| Past Perfect Tense |
She had arrived on time all year before they cancelled the bus route. |
| Future Perfect Tense |
She will have decided on a new bus route by the time the bus schedules change. |
| Present Progressive Tense |
She is arriving today. |
| Past Progressive Tense |
She was arriving today. |
| Future Progressive Tense |
She will be arriving tomorrow. |
| Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
She has been considering alternative bus routes since this morning. |
| Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
She had been considering new bus routes when she heard they cancelled the bus. |
| Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
She will have been considering new bus routes for hours by the time she chooses the best one. |
What Are Verb Tenses?
When writing in English, a verb tense is what tells a reader when the action in a sentence occurs.
- The basic form of a verb is what tells a reader what the action is.
- The tense of the verb tells the reader when it happened: in the present, past, or future.
- It also tells the reader whether the action is over or if it’s continuing.
- Additionally, it clarifies whether the action is related to another action at another time.
Therefore, changes in verb tense within writing contribute to a narrative’s timeline and help a reader understand the temporal (time) relationship between events.
Next, let’s take a look at the 12 different types of verb tenses, which fall under 3 main categories: simple, perfect, and progressive (continuous) tenses.
The Simple Verb Tenses
To get started let’s review the three simple verb tenses in English. The simple verb tenses clarify three specific, or clear points in time:
- Present (an action that is performed)
- Past (an action that was performed)
- Future (an action that will be performed)
1. Simple present tense
The present tense describes an action that is being performed.
For regular verbs, you form the simple present verb tense by adding an -s (in the third person singular) and using the basic form of the verb everywhere else.
Simple present tense examples in a sentence:
- Statements of fact, state of being, and general truths
- Los Angeles is a city in California.
- I am forty years old, and I am really tired today.
- Repetitive actions or habits
- She drives to work at 8 a.m. every day.
- That car always breaks down.
- Sequences of actions or directions
- When it rains, the flowers grow.
- You drive straight for two blocks, then turn right.
- With sensory verbs, when an action or feeling is true in the present
- I think I love music.
- She hears music.
- With arranged plans in the future or scheduled actions:
- My plane lands at 4 p.m. next Tuesday.
- Tell her when she arrives tomorrow.
2. Simple past tense
The simple past tense describes an action that was previously completed. Essentially, it’s an action but it has already happened because it started in the past and ended in the past.
When applying the simple past tense to a regular verb add an -ed at the end of the verb.
Simple past tense examples in a sentence:
- It rained, and the flowers grew.
- My plane landed at 4 p.m. yesterday.
- I ran so fast that I fell down. (irregular verbs)
- I thought I loved him. (one regular verb, one irregular verb)
3. Simple future tense
Then, the simple future tense describes an action that is yet to happen. It’s an action that will occur in the future (it isn’t happening now and hasn’t previously happened)
To write the simple future tense typically you add the word will or, less commonly, shall.
Simple future tense examples in a sentence:
- It will rain tomorrow, and the flowers will grow.
- My plan will land at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
- Tomorrow, I will run my first marathon.
- We shall see what happens tomorrow!
The Perfect Verb Tenses
Unlike simple tenses, perfect tenses describe when something is, was, or will be happening.
The actions in the perfect tenses express a different relationship between actions and time. To write the perfect tense in a sentence use a verb’s past participle.
Past participles of verbs: a quick refresher
| Regular Verbs |
Add -ed to the suffix (base form) of a verb. |
Examples of regular verbs: cook (cooked), dance (danced), learn (learned) |
| Irregular Verbs |
The past participle varies substantially. |
Examples of irregular verbs: be (been), become (became), sleep (slept), grow (grown) |
Considering how substantially the past participle of verbs can vary, it’s best practice to look them up in a dictionary, memorize them, or review them with a grammar checker.
4. Present Perfect Tense
To write the present perfect tense add have or has to a verb’s past participle.
Examples of the present perfect tense:
- Completed at an unspecified time in the past:
- I have cooked that recipe before.
- She has danced in the moonlight.
- He has driven that road. (irregular past participle)
- They have eaten that meal. (irregular past participle)
- Begun in the past and continuing into the present:
- For 10 years, we have purchased summer theater tickets.
- I have been at my company for many wonderful years. (irregular past participle)
5. Past perfect tense
The past perfect tense describes a past action that occurred before a particular event (or action). You create it by adding had to a verb’s past participle.
Examples of the past perfect tense:
- We had dated for five years before we got married.
- The chef had created that recipe long before working at the restaurant.
6. Future perfect tense
The future perfect describes the relationship between two events at different times.
In this case, the difference is between two future actions, and one action will occur before the other. To write the future perfect tense include will have with a verb’s past participle.
Examples of the future perfect tense:
- I will have finished dinner by the time you finally arrive.
- By the time the sun rises, she will have cleaned the entire house.
Progressive Forms of Verb Tenses
As if those six English verb forms weren’t enough, all six tenses have progressive forms that indicate actions in progress.
You may also find the progressive tenses referred to as continuous tenses.
To write the progressive verb tense you need the present participle of a verb.
Present participle of a verb: a quick refresher
Regular and Irregular Verbs
(in most cases) |
Add -ing |
Examples |
| In most cases |
Add -ing to the suffix (base form) of a verb. |
Examples: cook (cooking), dance (dancing), be (being), become (becoming) |
7. Present progressive
The present progressive is an action that is currently in progress or will happen in the future.
How to write the present progressive: simply add am, is, or are to the present participle.
Examples of the present progressive:
- I am running late. (currently in progress)
- She is traveling to New York on Monday. (future time)
- They are baking bread. (currently in progress)
8. Past progressive
The past progressive is a past action that was in progress when another event occurred.
How to write the past progressive: Add was or were to the present participle.
Examples of the past progressive:
- I was running late when you called.
- She was traveling to New York when the connecting flight was delayed.
- They were baking bread when the power went out.
9. Future progressive
The future progressive is an action that’s in progress and will continue.
How to write the future progressive: Add will be to the present participle.
Examples of the future progressive:
- I will be running too late if I wait for you.
- She will be traveling to New York next Monday.
- They will be baking bread to prepare for the party next week.
10. Present perfect progressive
The present perfect progressive refers to something that started before (in the past), is still happening, and may continue to happen.
How to write the present perfect progressive: Add have/has and been to the present participle.
Examples of the present perfect progressive:
- I have been running late since this morning.
- She has been considering a trip to New York.
- They have been baking bread since before dawn.
11. Past perfect progressive
The past perfect progressive refers to when something happened before (in the past), was unfolding for a period of time, and then ended.
How to write the past perfect progressive: Add had been to the present participle.
Examples:
- I had been running late before you offered me a ride in your sports car!
- She had been planning a trip to New York before the travel delays were announced.
- They had been baking bread when the power went out and the oven turned off.
12. Future perfect progressive
The future perfect progressive tense refers to an action that is starting now (in the present) and unfolding in the future.
How to write the future perfect progressive: Add will have been to the present participle in a sentence.
Examples of the future perfect progressive:
- I will have been cooking all day by the time we finally sit down to eat.
- She will have been traveling for ten hours before she arrives in New York.
- They will have been baking bread for five hours by the time you wake up.
Final Thoughts
At first glance, it might seem like the present, past, and future verb tenses should cover all possible actions.
However, because relationships between time can get so complex, we need additional verb tenses to help explain how actions exist in — and between — different temporal points.
While some of the perfect and progressive tenses can sound confusing at first, the examples illustrate how commonly we use them in speaking and writing without realizing it!
Review your content to make sure you’re using verb tenses correctly with the Originality.ai AI Grammar Checker.
Then, discover grammar best practices in our top guides:
