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English Verb Tenses

by Rebecca
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Every language in the world has verb tenses. These tenses, which refer to the present, past, and future, explain when something such as an action, event, or state - happened. The problem is that although all languages have verb tenses, not all languages have the same verb tenses or use them in a similar way. Thats why English tenses are often confusing to ESL students. The charts below provide a quick reference to help you understand the tenses in English more easily: Chart 1 lists each English tense and explains when to use it.

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English Verb Tenses engVid

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Chart 2 gives an example of each tense, in active and passive form. Chart 3 provides time words and expressions commonly used with the verb tenses, to help you recognize when to use each tense. Overview of English Verb Tenses Usage: general action, habitual action, general truth Example: I work in a hospital. Usage: ongoing or temporary action Example: Sorry, I cant talk right now. I am working. Usage: completed action or condition Example: I worked for ten hours yesterday. Usage: past ongoing action, past interrupted action Example: I was working on my project when you called. Usage: planned or unplanned future action Example: I will work at the main branch next week. action that happened at an indefinite time in the past and continues Usage: to the present Example: I have worked at the bank for three years. Usage: past action that happened before another past action. Example: I had already worked for several years before I got married. Usage: future action that will happen before another future action Example: I will have worked here for five years next July. Usage: past action that started in the past and continues to the present Example: I have been working on that project for the last two weeks. past ongoing action that was completed before some other past Usage: action Example: I had been sleeping at my desk when my boss fired me. Usage: future ongoing action that will occur before another action I will have been working here for ten years tomorrow, so were Example: having a party.

Present Simple Present Continuous Present Progressive Past Simple Past Continuous Past Progressive Future Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Progressive Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Progressive Future Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Progressive

Verb Tense Present Simple Present Continuous Present Progressive Past Simple Past Continuous Past Progressive Future Present Present Past Perfect Future Perfect

Examples of English Verb Tenses Example ACTIVE I work. I am working. I worked. I was working. I will work. Im going to work. I have worked. I had worked. I will have worked. I have been working. I had been working. I will have been working.

Example PASSIVE The work is done. The work is being done. The work was done. The work was being done. The work will be done. The work is going to be done. The work has been done. The work had been done. The work will have been done.

Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Progressive Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Progressive Future Perfect Continuous Future Present Progressive

Common Time Expressions for English Verb Tenses Verb Tense Example ACTIVE Time Clues every day / morning / night always Present Simple I work. never sometimes

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English Verb Tenses engVid

http://www.engvid.com/english-resource/english-verb-tenses/

usually frequently rarely seldom now Present Continuous Present Progressive right now I am working. at the present time this weekend yesterday last night Past Simple I worked. last week / month / year last summer / winter while I was working. when tomorrow I will work. Future Im going to work. in the future soon since until now ever Present Present I have worked. never for two hours / days / months many times already by the time Past Perfect I had worked. till then till that time by the time Future Perfect already for the past four years Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Progressive for the last two days up to now before Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Progressive I had been working. since for three hours / days / weeks by the time I will have been working. for six months / years The work will have been done. next week / month /year

Past Continuous Past Progressive

Future Perfect Continuous Future Present Progressive

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English Grammar Tenses Overview of all the tenses in English Learn English for free with 355 video lessons by experienced native-speaker teachers. New classes are added three times a week, covering grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, TOEFL, and more. Join over ten million ESL students worldwide who are improving their English every day with engVid.

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