English tenses

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Grammar rules to download for free.

English tenses chart with rules and examples (a quick review).

Download English tenses PDF for free (beginners - advanced levels):

Present tenses PDF rules Present simple and present continuous tense.

Past tenses PDF rules Past simple and past continuous tense.

Future tenses PDF rules Future simple and future continuous tense.

Present perfect tense PDF rules Present perfect and present perfect continuous.

Past perfect tense PDF rules Past perfect simple and past perfect continuous.

Future perfect tense PDF rules Future perfect simple and future perfect continuous.

Going to vs present tenses PDF rules Going to vs present simple and continuous for future.

Exercises with answers, PDF worksheets with keys and grammar rules with examples.

Present tenses

Present simple tense

1. Repeated actions: I play golf every week.
2. Permanent truths: Lions live in Africa.
3. Timetables: The bus departs at 10.

Present continuous tense

1. Activities that are happening just now: I am playing golf now.
2. Temporary activities happening about this time: We are staying at the hotel this week.
3. Definite future arrangements: He is moving to Leeds tomorrow.

Compare: Present simple vs Present continuous tense

Past tenses

Past simple tense

1. Repeated actions in the past: We worked in Seattle last week.
2. An action completed in the past: I had a shower in the morning.
3. Events that follow each other: Bill came home. He took off his coat and went to the kitchen.

Past continuous tense

1. An action that started before another action in the past and continued after it: When she saw me, I was looking at the trees.
2. An action that started before a point in time and continued after it: At 8 o'clock Jane was doing her homework.
3. To describe situations: The sun was shining. Jack and Jill were lying on the beach.

Compare: Past simple vs Past continuous tense

Future tenses

Future simple tense

1. General intentions: He will change his job.
2. Predictions or opinions: The horse will win.
3. Decisions or offers made at the moment of speaking: I'll take you home. - No, thank you. We'll take a taxi.

Future continuous tense

1. Activities that will be in progress at a point of time: This time tomorrow we'll be lying on the beach.
2. Routine activities that will happen in the normal course of events: Everybody will be working on a computer sooner or later.

Compare: Future simple vs Future continuous tense

Present perfect

Present perfect simple

1. Activities that started in the past and still continue: She has known me for more than two years.
2. Experience that happened in the past, but the effects are important now: She has been to London.
3. Activities that have a present result: The bus hasn't arrived yet.

Present perfect continuous

1. Events that began at a point of time, are continuing now and will probably continue in the future: I have been playing tennis since I was 6 years old.
2. Actions that began in the past and have only just finished: I've been skiing all day. I'm so tired.

Compare: Present perfect simple vs Present perfect continuous

Past perfect

Past perfect simple

1. An event that was completed before another event: The door bell rang at last. I had been in the room since breakfast.
2. Activities that were completed before a point of time: In 2005 I had lived in the same place for ten years.

Past perfect continuous

1. Activities that began before a point of time and were still continuing at that point of time: Last summer Josh had been renovating his house for two years.
2. Actions that began before a point of time in the past and continued to that point: Josh sat down. He had been cutting the grass all morning.

Compare: Past perfect simple vs Past perfect continuous

Future perfect

Future perfect simple

1. Activities that will be completed before a certain time in the future: She will have written her book by the end of this year.
2. Activities that will be completed at a certain time in the future: When I return home, I will have been away for a year.

Future perfect continuous

1. Activities that will continue until a point of time and will not be completed: In June we will have been travelling around the world for five months.
2. Activities that will continue until a point of time and will finish at that point of time: I will leave my office at 6 o'clock. By then I will have been working on my computer all day.

Compare: Future perfect simple vs Future perfect continuous

Future forms

Going to + will + present tenses for future

1. Future plans: I am going to buy a new house. Predictions: Be careful! You are going to fall.
2. Predictions: I think I'll go on holiday in JUly.
3. Timetables: The train leaves at 3.35.
4. Future arrangements: I am leaving on Monday.