Be taught the 12 English Verb Tenses With Simple Explanations and Examples

52

How will you inform when one thing occurred in English? You have a look at the verb tense of the sentence. English verbs change kind primarily based on the current, previous, and future verb tenses, and who’s performing the motion.

Learn how many verb tenses are within the English language and the way English verb tenses have an effect on a sentence. Additionally, learn to say that one thing remains to be taking place — or if it can nonetheless be taking place sooner or later.

What’s a verb tense in English?

A verb tense is the way in which a verb is spelled or pronounced to point out when an motion occurred. English verb tenses present three completely different intervals of time:

• current tense: The motion is going on proper now or occurs frequently.
• previous tense: The motion occurred prior to now.
• future tense: The motion will occur after proper now.

You normally present English verb tenses by altering the ending letters of the verb. Some verbs add just a few letters (like altering love to liked previously tense), whereas others change the verb fully (like altering eat to ate previously tense).

English verb tenses charts

The best way you modify a verb’s ending in a sentence is determined by the kind of verb it’s. Common verbs all observe the identical guidelines:

• current tense: Hold the bottom verb kind with some topics (I, you, we, they) or add -s or -es for others (he, she, it).
• previous tense: Add -ed or -d to the top of the verb.
• future tense: Hold the bottom verb kind and add will in entrance of it.

See how the common verb stroll seems in every completely different tense:

Most irregular verbs observe these guidelines for current and future tense, however you’ll must memorize the way in which each modifications previously tense:

eat

Discover how the irregular verb eat turns into eats within the current tense and will eat sooner or later tense, however it modifications to ate previously tense. The excellent news is that almost all English verbs are common, so that you gained’t have to memorize too many irregular guidelines!

Current tense English verbs

Within the current tense, one thing is going on now or it occurs frequently or repeats usually. For instance:

• I stroll to highschool.
• Thomas helps his mother.
• The trainer writes on the board.

I stroll to highschool can imply that you just stroll to highschool daily or that you just’re strolling to highschool now. You’ll discover each meanings in your studying, so have a look at the sentences round it to find out which that means a verb has.

Previous tense English verbs

If one thing occurred earlier than proper now, it’s previously tense. The motion might be one minute in the past, someday in the past, or ten years in the past — it is determined by the remainder of the sentence.

• I walked to highschool.
• Thomas helped his mother.
• The trainer wrote on the board.

Put common verbs (like stroll and assist) previously tense by including -ed. For irregular verbs (like write), you’ll must memorize that write turns into wrote previously tense. 

Future tense English verbs

English learners usually discover the longer term tense to be the simplest of all of them. You solely want so as to add will earlier than the bottom type of the verb to point out that one thing will occur after this second — it may occur in 5 minutes or subsequent yr.

• Thomas will assist his mother.
• The trainer will write on the board.
• I’ll stroll to highschool.

Did you discover the phrase I’ll within the lasat sentence? That’s a contraction — a mix of the phrases I and will. Using an apostrophe ( ‘ ) is the sign that some letters have been eliminated and the phrase has been shortened.  I’ll is a typical strategy to present that your motion will happen sooner or later. Different nouns and pronouns could be made into contractions the identical method, too!

Different English verb tenses

You’ve already realized concerning the easy side — verbs within the easy previous, current, and future tenses. However there are extra verb tenses in English known as elements. Features present how lengthy an motion lasted or if it’s nonetheless going.

Every of the three verb tenses has 4 elements, so there are 12 English verb tenses in complete.

• easy side: The motion occurred as soon as or it repeats.
• steady side: The motion saved going (or remains to be going).
• good side: The motion stopped or isn’t taking place anymore.
• good steady: The motion was persevering with, however then it stopped.

Verbs change kind in several elements. You add endings (like -ing and -ed), and the verb comes after linking verbs (like be and have). 

Steady elements

Steady verb elements present {that a} verb is continuous now or that it was persevering with at a sure time. Add an -ing to the top of the verb and the right type of the verb be that matches the pronoun (both am, are, or is).

stroll

The continual side is likely one of the best elements as a result of all verbs (common and irregular) observe the identical guidelines. Each common verbs (like stroll) and irregular verbs (like eat) simply add -ing and the fitting type of be. When a verb like dwell ends in an -e, you take away the -e and add -ing.

• I stroll to highschool → I am strolling to highschool. 
• We dwell in New York → We live in New York.
• Ryan eats lunch at residence. → Ryan was consuming lunch at residence.
• I assist my mother. → I shall be serving to my mother.

Good elements

The English phrase good normally means “excellent,” however it might additionally imply “accomplished.” Within the good verb side, an motion is already completed, it doesn’t matter what tense it’s in. Add have or had earlier than the verb, after which use the previous participle type of the verb.

stroll

Common verbs (like play) kind the previous participle by including -d or -ed to the top of the bottom verb. Verbs that finish in -y (like cry) change the -y to an –ied. Irregular verbs (like see) can finish in -n, -en, or -t.

• I stroll to highschool → I have walked to highschool. 
• Mike performs baseball. → Mike has performed baseball.
• They cry concerning the information. → They have cried concerning the information.
• You see that film. → You could have seen that film.

Good steady elements

Within the good steady side, an motion was ongoing at one time, however then it ended. You kind it by including two linking verbs (have or had and been) after which including -ing to the top of the verb.

stroll

Sentences within the good steady usually have particulars about how lengthy one thing has been taking place. For instance:

• I stroll to highschool. → I had been strolling to highschool all final yr. 
• I examine English. → I have been finding out English for one yr.
• She swims. → She had been swimming for 20 minutes.
• The canine waits. → The canine could have been ready all day.

Be taught English in a matter of time

Understanding English verb tenses is likely one of the most necessary components of studying methods to communicate English. It reveals when an motion takes place, which helps you to communicate (and write) in English extra precisely. Most new English audio system use solely three or six verb tenses more often than not. You possibly can slowly add extra while you really feel extra assured. However a minimum of you’ll know what it means while you hear or learn one other of those 12 verb tenses.

When you’ve mastered verb tenses in English, evaluation the commonest English phrases you can apply in a dialog. For extra suggestions, methods, and instruments to make use of when studying English, discover out how Rosetta Stone works for English learners as we speak!