Pillar Guide · Grammar · 30 October 2026 · 2 min read · By RK Pema
English Tenses: A Complete Guide
[Editable intro] Tenses tell us when an action happens — in the past, the present or the future — and whether it is simple, continuing, completed, or completed after continuing for some time.
[Editable intro] In this guide you will meet all twelve tenses with a simple structure and examples for each. Read one section at a time and say the examples aloud.
What is a tense?
[Editable] A tense is the form of a verb that shows the time of an action and its state. English has three times (past, present, future) and four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous), giving twelve tenses.
Present tenses
[Editable] Use the present tenses for habits, facts, actions happening now, and actions connected to the present.
- Simple: She reads every day.
- Continuous: She is reading now.
- Perfect: She has read this book.
- Perfect continuous: She has been reading since morning.
Past tenses
[Editable] Use the past tenses for actions that finished, were in progress, or were completed before another past moment.
- Simple: He played cricket yesterday.
- Continuous: He was playing when it rained.
- Perfect: He had played before lunch.
- Perfect continuous: He had been playing for two hours.
Future tenses
[Editable] Use the future tenses for plans, predictions and actions that will be in progress or complete later.
- Simple: We will visit Jaipur.
- Continuous: We will be travelling tomorrow.
- Perfect: We will have reached by evening.
- Perfect continuous: We will have been travelling for six hours.
Choosing the right tense
[Editable] Look for time words: yesterday, now, since, for, by tomorrow. They often point to the correct tense.
Common mistakes
I am knowing the answer.
I know the answer.
[Editable] Verbs of knowing and feeling are rarely used in continuous forms.
She has gone to Delhi yesterday.
She went to Delhi yesterday.
[Editable] A finished past time takes the simple past.
I am living here since 2010.
I have been living here since 2010.
[Editable] “Since” and “for” go with perfect tenses.
Quick practice quiz
Choose the correct answer for each sentence.
1. She ___ to school every day.
2. They ___ football when it started raining.
3. I ___ this film already.
4. By next year, he ___ his degree.
5. We ___ here since morning.
About the author — RK Pema
Author, government English lecturer and spoken-English trainer from Rajasthan, India, with over 25 years of teaching experience.
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