tenses

This table shows how the different tenses of English verbs are formed. It also shows in

brackets how the negative form of each tense is used. The words ‘continuous’ and

‘progresssive’ are both used in the names of tenses because both words are used in

teaching.

In all the examples below, the regular verb ‘help’ is used for all tenses so that you can

compare the endings.

Simple tenses Continuous/Progressive tenses

Present Simple

used for actions in the present, for things that

are always true or that happen regularly, and

for opinions and beliefs

I/we/you/they help (do not help)

he/she/it helps (does not help)

Present Continuous/Progressive

used for actions or events that are happening

or developing now, for future plans, or to show

that an event is repeated

I amhelping (am not helping)

we/you/they are helping (are not helping)

he/she/it is helping (is not helping)

Past Simple

used for completed actions and events in the

past

I/we/you/they helped (did not help)

he/she/it helped (did not help)

Past Continuous/Progressive

used for actions or events in the past that were

not yet finished or that were interrupted

I was helping (was not helping)

we/you/they were helping (were not helping)

he/she/it was helping (was not helping)

Future Simple

used for actions and events in the future

I/we/you/they will help (will not help)

he/she/it will help (will not help)

Future Continuous/Progressive

used for actions or events in the future that

will continue into the future

I/we/you/they will be helping

(will not be helping)

he/she/it will be helping

(will not be helping)

Present Perfect

used to show that an event happened or an

action was completed at some time before the

present

I/we/you/they have helped

(have not helped)

he/she/it has helped

(has not helped)

Present Perfect

Continuous/Progressive

used for actions or events that started in the

past but are still happening now, or for past

actions which only recently finished and

whose effects are seen now

I/we/you/they have been helping

(have not been helping)

he/she/it has been helping

(has not been helping)

Past Perfect (or ‘Pluperfect’)

usually used to show that an event happened

or an action was completed before a particular

time in the past

I/we/you/they had helped

(had not helped)

he/she/it had helped

(had not helped)

Past Perfect

Continuous/Progressive

used for actions or events that happened for a

period of time but were completed before a

particular time in the past

I/we/you/they had been helping

(had not been helping)

he/she/it had been helping

(had not been helping)

Future Perfect

used to show that something will be

completed before a particular time in the

future

I/we/you/they will have helped

(will not have helped)

he/she/it will have helped

(will not have helped)

Future Perfect

Continuous/Progressive

used for actions or events that will already be

happening at a particular time in the future

I/we/you/they will have been helping

(will not have been helping)

he/she/it will have been helping

(will not have been helping)