Verb Forms: Tenses – The Definitive Guide

Tense shows the time of an action or state and often its completion or continuity. English has three main tenses – Present, Past, Future – and each has four forms: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous. This guide explains the structures, uses, common signals, and typical mistakes for each tense in an ICSE-friendly way.

1. Simple Present Tense

Uses:

• Habits and routines: I get up at 6 a.m.
• General truths and facts: Water boils at 100°C.
• Permanent situations: She lives in Kolkata.
• Timetables / schedules: The train leaves at 9 o’clock.
• Commentaries / instructions: He passes the ball to the striker.

Common signals: always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day, on Sundays, generally, normally.

Common mistake: Using present continuous for habits.
Incorrect: I am going to school every day. → Correct: I go to school every day.

2. Present Continuous Tense

Uses:

• Actions happening now: She is reading a book.
• Temporary actions around now: I am staying with my aunt this week.
• Planned future actions (informal): We are meeting the manager tomorrow.

Common signals: now, right now, at the moment, today, this week, these days.

Common mistake: Using continuous instead of simple present for routines.
Incorrect: I am having dinner every day at 8. → Correct: I have dinner every day at 8.

3. Present Perfect Tense

Uses:

• Completed action with result in the present: I have finished my homework. (It is done now.)
• Life experience (no specific time): She has visited London three times.
• Recent action with just / already / yet: They have just left.

Common signals: just, already, yet, ever, never, so far, recently, since, for.

Common mistake: Mixing past simple and present perfect incorrectly.
Incorrect: I have seen him yesterday. → Correct: I saw him yesterday.
(Past time word → use Past Simple.)

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Uses:

• Action started in the past and continuing till now: She has been studying since morning.
• Action recently stopped but with present result: It has been raining (the ground is still wet).

Common signals: for, since, all day, all morning, how long…?

Common mistake: Using simple present for ongoing actions with for/since.
Incorrect: I live here since 2010. → Correct: I have been living / have lived here since 2010.

5. Simple Past Tense

Uses:

• Completed action at a definite time in the past: I met him yesterday.
• Past habits: When I was a child, I played in this park.
• Past facts and situations: She lived in Delhi for five years. (Finished stay.)

Common signals: yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago, once, then.

Common mistakes:

• Overusing was/were instead of action verbs.
  Incorrect: I was going to the market and bought fruits. (tense shift) → Better: I went to the market and bought fruits.
• Forgetting -ed in regular verbs: He finish his work. → He finished his work.

6. Past Continuous Tense

Uses:

• Action going on at a particular time in the past: At 8 o’clock, I was eating dinner.
• Background action interrupted by another action: I was reading when the phone rang.
• Two parallel past actions: She was cooking while he was cleaning.

Common signals: while, when (for interruption), at that time, all evening.

7. Past Perfect Tense

Uses:

• Earlier of two past actions: When I arrived, he had left.
• Showing completion before a specific past time: By 6 p.m., they had completed the project.

Common signals: before, after, already, by the time, no sooner…than, hardly…when.

Common mistake: Using simple past for both actions where order is unclear.
Incorrect: When I reached, he left. → Better: When I reached, he had left.

8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Uses:

• Action that was going on up to a point in the past: She had been working for three hours when I called.

Common signals: for, since, before, until then.

9. Simple Future Tense

Uses:

• Decisions made at the moment of speaking: I will help you.
• Predictions / future facts: It will rain in the evening.
• Promises, offers, threats: I will call you later.

Common signals: tomorrow, next week, soon, in the future, later.

Note: “Shall” is formal and mainly used with I/we in older usage; “will” is common with all subjects in modern English.

10. Future Continuous Tense

Uses:

• Action that will be in progress at a particular time in the future: This time tomorrow, I will be travelling.
• Polite enquiries / fixed plans: Will you be joining us for dinner?

11. Future Perfect Tense

Uses:

• Action that will be completed before a certain future time: By 10 a.m., I will have finished the exam.

Common signals: by tomorrow, by next week, by then, before 2030.

12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Uses:

• Ongoing action that will continue up to a point in the future: By next month, they will have been living in this city for five years.

Common signals: for, since, by the time, by then.

13. Sequence of Tenses (In Reported Speech)

• He said, “I am tired.” → He said that he was tired.
• She said, “I have finished my work.” → She said that she had finished her work.
• They said, “We will go tomorrow.” → They said that they would go the next day.

Exceptions: universal truths and habitual actions often keep their tense.
He said, “The sun rises in the east.” → He said that the sun rises in the east.

14. Common Tense Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect: He comes yesterday and told me. → Correct: He came yesterday and told me.
• Incorrect: I am knowing the answer. → Correct: I know the answer. (state verb)
• Incorrect: She has gone to school yesterday. → Correct: She went to school yesterday.
• Incorrect: When I reached, he left. → Better: When I reached, he had left.

15. How to Choose the Right Tense (Quick Guide)