The 12 Basic English Tenses
The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic English tenses*. For each tense we look at:
- Structure: How do we make the tense?
- Use: When and why do we use the tense?
Some lessons look at additional matters, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.
- Present Simple
We work, We do work
With Present Simple Quiz - Present Continuous
We are working
With Present Continuous Quiz - Present Perfect Simple
We have worked
With Present Perfect Simple Quiz - Present Perfect Continuous
We have been working
With Present Perfect Continuous Quiz - Past Simple
We worked, We did work
With Past Simple Quiz - Past Continuous
We were working
With Past Continuous Quiz - Past Perfect Simple
We had worked
With Past Perfect Simple Quiz - Past Perfect Continuous
We had been working
With Past Perfect Continuous Quiz - Future Simple
We will work
With Future Simple Quiz - Future Continuous
We will be working
With Future Continuous Quiz - Future Perfect Simple
We will have worked
With Future Perfect Simple Quiz - Future Perfect Continuous
We will have been working
With Future Perfect Continuous Quiz
Many English learners worry too much about tense. If you stopped 100 native English speakers in the street and asked them about tense, 1 of them might give you an intelligent answer - if you were lucky. The other 99 would know little about terms like "past perfect" or "present continuous". And they would know nothing about aspect, voice or mood. But they can all speak fluent English and communicate effectively. Of course, for ESL it helps to know about tenses, but don't become obsessed with them. Be like those native speakers! Speak naturally!
*Some grammarians consider that strictly-speaking there are only two English tenses. Others argue six or other quantities. For the sake of simplicity, Learners of English as a Foreign or Second Language are usually taught that - taking into account aspect and future modals - there are 12 tenses in English.
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