12 types of tenses with examples and formula is an essential topic to learn for anyone who wants to improve their English language skills. Understanding the different types of tenses and how to use them correctly can help in effective communication and writing. In this article, we will explore the 12 types of tenses, and provide examples and formulas to help you understand each tense better.
Types Of Tenses
Past, present, and future are the three primary tenses. Each of these tenses has four distinct features in English: simple, perfect, continuous (also known as progressive), and perfect continuous.
Today we will learn details about 12 types of tenses with examples and formulas. Fluent English and immaculate grammar are not far away with a thorough understanding of 12 English Language tenses.
Here are the 12 types of tenses in English grammar –
1. Present Indefinite Tense Formula
2. Present Continuous/Progressive Tense Formula
3. Present perfect Tense Formula
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense Formula
5. Past simple tense formula
6. Past continuous /Progressive Tense Formula
7. Past perfect tense formula
8. Past perfect continuous /Progressive tense formula
9. Future simple tense formula
10. Future perfect tense formula
11. Future continuous /Progressive tense formula
12. Future perfect continuous tense formula
12 types of tenses with examples and formula
1. Present Indefinite Tense Formula
In this tutorial of 12 types of tenses with examples and formula, let’s first start with the present tense. Present Indefinite Tense is an activity that is regular or usual or real and employs the verb’s basic shape. In the case of the third person, the word es’ is added.
Note that no changes in the basic verb form during the Simple Present Tense are done unless a third person is discussed, in which case suffixes – s or -es are added to the verb.
For example –
- I read the Holy Quran every day.
2. Salma reads the Holy Quran every day.
3. He goes to the market every Monday.
Present Indefinite Tense Exercises-
1. I ——————— at a school.
2. She ——————– with her husband.
3. Cows ———————– on grass.
4.Simin———————– English very well.
5. Tiya ———————- to be a singer.
2. Present Continuous/Progressive Tense Formula
The present continuous is a verb tense in which the activity is ongoing/constant. The present continuous tense is used to describe acts that are taking place right now.
By adding – to the underlying verb, we make the present continuous. It’s usually straightforward: we just add -ing. However, there are situations when we must alter the word appropriately. For example, maybe we should double the final letter or drop a note.
Example :
1. She is singing a song.
2. I have my breakfast.
3. My mom is cooking in the kitchen.
Present Continuous Tense Exercises–
1.Jason________(do) his homework at the moment.
2.Selena _______________(not drink) tea now.
3.Every day his grandfather_________(to go) for a walk.
4.They often_______ ( to clean) the bathroom.
5.The students ________(have) lunch in the canteen.
3. Present perfect Tense Formula
The present perfect tense is used to express a previous activity (despite being present tense). The present perfect tense is a verb tense used to indicate acts that took place at an arbitrary time. It’s also used to describe actions that began in the past but are still ongoing.
The formula for the present perfect tense is to have/has + past participle. The past participle is usually created by putting -ed or -d at the end of the verb.
Example :
- They played cricket.
2. Nafi has traveled around the world.
3. My mom has cooked noodles today.
Present perfect tense exercises –
1.They_________ New York this month. (leave)
2. He ___________a lot of math papers. (bring)
3.She___________ a new umbrella. (buy)
4. The cat________a mouse. (just/to catch)
5. We (not / plan) _________ our holiday yet.
Also Read: How to Become an English Teacher
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense Formula
The perfect continuous nowadays is a complex English verb. Therefore, the present perfect verb tense is combined with the present progressive verb tense. The present perfect progressive verb tense represents acts that started in the past and are still ongoing.
The continuous tense of the present (also called the perfect progressive tense of today) shows that something began in the past and continues now. Therefore, the combination has/have been + the present participle (root + -ing) to create the present perfect continuous.
Example:
1. I have been writing assignments on macroeconomics since morning.
2. They have been playing football on that field for three hours.
3. Sadia has not been feeling well for the last week.
Present perfect continuous tense exercises –
1.You_______ (not study) for the english exam.
2.The children_________ (To watch) videos for two hours.
3.The baby ________(cry) for fifteen minutes.
4.Her grandpa_________ (talk) for three hours.
5. The baby (cries) for fifteen minutes on the street.
5. Past simple tense formula
The simple past commonly referred to as the preterite has been used to speak of a finished activity before now. The simple past tense in English is the basic form of the past. It is not crucial to the period of activity in the recent history of the long-standing past and duration of action.
While the adverb is not included in the phrase, one might simply use past tense to show that the activity has been done in the past.
In the regular verb, -ed is added. Therefore, you have to alter some of the verbs a little. Certain verbs are not expected. It would be best if you heartily learned them.
Example:
1. She washed her clothes.
2. He lived in London in 1997.
3. I bought a smartphone.
Past simple tense exercises –
1.Last year I (spend)____________ my holiday in Saudi Arabia
2. What time _______ (he/get up) yesterday?
3.He__________ (not/study) for the exam.
4. It was a funny situation but nobody ________ (laugh)
5. We (grow) ______ this tree from a seed.
6. Past continuous /Progressive Tense Formula
The Past Continuous represent actions that started in the past and typically continued for a short time after they began.
Past continuous (also known as past progressive) is a verb tense used to demonstrate that an ongoing past activity was interrupted or that two continuing activities were co-occurring.
The past continuous tense is made up of a -ing verb followed by the past tense of the verb “to be.” This is a simple notion to grasp, and once you’ve learned it, you’ll be able to speak about the past much more freely.
Example:
1. She was cooking in the kitchen.
2. I was helping my friend to do the assignment.
3. They were playing cricket in the stadium.
Past continuous tense exercises –
1. Yesterday at seven I (prepare) __________ Breakfast.
2. Most of the time we (shopping )_____ in the market.
3.They (eat) _______chocolate at three o’clock.
4.Mr. Tahsan (not/drink)________ coffee in the library when the incident happened.
5. The kids (play) __________ in the park when it suddenly began to rain.
7. Past perfect tense formula
The perfect past, commonly referred to as the verb endings, is a verb used to discuss activities that have been done previously. The past perfect expresses finished acts because it is a component of the “perfect” tense. That is, the action that began in the past has come to an end.
To ideally stretch the past, you utilize “to have” the past tense of the verb and add it to the main verb’s past portion.
Example :
1. She established her business before 2021.
2. My sister asked if we had seen her cat.
3. The train had just left when we got to the station.
Past perfect tense exercises –
1.Kamal (not / ride)________ on boat before that day.
2. My little brother ate all of the ice cream that our mum (make)_________ .
3.Gary ______(meet) him somewhere before.
4. When we arrived at the cinema hall, the film_______ (start).
5.Simin said that she _______(not/visit) the London before.
8. Past perfect continuous /Progressive tense formula
perfect continuous present, which refers to an activity that began in the past and continued until now; the continuous past is a verb that refers to anything that started in the past, continued in the past and finished in the past.
The past perfect continuous tense is formed by combining had been with the present participle of the verb (root + -ing).
Examples:
1. He had been studying in that school since 2019.
2. The girls had not been watching movies for one week.
3. They had been living in Canada since 2018.
Past perfect Continuous Tense Exercises –
1. We (look for)_____ her ring for three hours and then we found it in the bedroom.
2. They were exhausted in the afternoon because they (help)_____ at home all day.
3. Mostafa_____ (learn) English for five years before he moved to Canada.
4.Neela (work)________ for 2 years before she(quit)____ her job.
5. Nafiu Khan (decide) to break up because they (fight) ______ for a long time.
9. Future simple tense formula
For a future activity or future condition, the future tense is a verb. The formula for the simple future remains the same whether the subject is solo or multiple. The simple end reflects facts or certainties and relates to a time later than now.
The formulation is + [root verb form] for the simple future. The formula is + not + [root form] to negative the simple future.
Examples:
1. Suhana will watch various kinds of movies.
2. Tahsan will travel around the world in April.
3. I will help Halima to complete the assignment.
Future simple tense exercises –
1.Everybody ________(adore) children’s.
2.On Saturday at 8 o’clock I _____( to meet) my friend.
3. The Accounting lesson ________ ( to start) at 8:45.
4. We (start/not) _____ to drive the car without you.
5. It _________ (be) very cold this winter.
10. Future perfect tense formula
The future perfect tense denotes completed or completed acts. These activities have not yet taken place, but they will in the near future.
The future perfect is formed from the past participle and the future simple of ‘have’ (will have). Therefore, add ‘ed’ to the verb for ordinary past participles (‘play’ becomes ‘played’).
Examples :
1. We will have met Kabir.
2. He will not have breakfast today.
3. Will he have participated in the boxing competition?
Future perfect tense exercises –
1. By tomorrow morning, she (sleep) _________ amazingly.
2. On Sunday, she (wait) ________ for 2 hours.
3.In 2019, he (work ) _______here for 15 years.
4. She (forget/not) ______ to lock the car.
5.Toma Display virtual keyboard interface (leave) ____the house before her friends arrive.
11. Future continuous /Progressive tense formula
The future continuous tense, also known as the future progressive tense, is a verb tense that denotes that something will happen in the future and will last a certain amount of time.
In English, the Future Continuous tense is frequently used to communicate about something that will happen in the future.
The present participle (the root verb + -ing) is combined with the expression will + be + the present participle (the root verb + -ing).
Examples :
1. Saimoon will be singing a song this Saturday
2. Everyone will be watching Neha and Ruhi’s race.
3. Tushar will be becoming a market for shopping.
Future continuous tense exercises –
1. Tomorrow we (cram up) ________ for our Math test.
2. She (not / play) ______ all morning.
3. At three o’clock today, they (meet)_____ their friends.
4. This evening we (watch) ______ a comedy show.
5. I (give)______ a speech at my sister’s wedding on Saturday at six.
12. Future perfect continuous tense formula
The future perfect continuous, also known as the future perfect progressive, is a verb tense used to indicate acts that will continue until a future point.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense is a tense that occurs in the future. This tense is used to depict a continuing action that will conclude in the future.
Will + have + been + the verb’s present participle (verb root + -ing) make up the future perfect continuous.
Examples –
1. Robin will have been writing various kinds of stories on this topic.
2. We won’t have been sleeping for long.
3. We will have been enjoying the popcorn before the drama show starts.
Future perfect continuous tense exercises –
1. She________ (study) Finance for two years when she takes the exam.
2. Mitu _________ (sleep) for four hours at 10 pm.
3.My friends (lie)________ on the bed all Friday.
4. Three young athletes ______ (work out) for many hours when one of them finally won a bronze.
5. The young girl _______ (sleep) for five hours before his father returns from the office.