What Is Verb Tense? (with Examples)
Verb Tense (with Examples)
The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three main tenses are as follows:
- The Past Tense (e.g., I walked.)
- The Present Tense (e.g., I walk.)
- The Future Tense (e.g., I will walk.)
The tense of a verb can also tell us things like whether the action is habitual, ongoing, or completed. This is called the aspect of the verb, which is part of tense.
Examples of Tenses
Here are some examples of verbs in different tenses:
- I walked to work.
- (The verb walked is in the past tense.)
- I walk to work.
- (The verb walk is in the present tense.)
- I will walk to work.
- (The verb will walk is in the future tense.)
Remember that verbs do not just express actions. They can also express a state of being. For example:
- I was happy.
- (The verb was is in the past tense.)
- I am happy.
- (The verb am is in the present tense.)
- I will be happy.
- (The verb will be is in the future tense.)
Examples of Verbs in Different Tenses
Here are some more examples of verbs in the past, present, and future tenses:
- The hardest that I have laughed at a movie was probably Team America. I laughed ’til I thought I was going to throw up. (Ron White)
- (The verbs in bold are in the past tense.)
- You laugh at me because I’m different. I laugh at you because you are all the same. (Jonathan Davis)
- (The underlined verbs are in the present tense.)
- Nobody will laugh long who deals much with opium; even its pleasures are of a grave and solemn complexion. (Thomas de Quincey)
- (The italicised verbs are in the future tense.)
You will notice that some of the verbs in the past tense example about Team America are made up of more than one word (have laughed, was going). We need these different versions of the tenses because they help us to state whether the action (or state of being) is in progress or completed. For example, the different versions of the verb to laugh are as follows:
- Past Tense: laughed, was/were laughing, had laughed, had been laughing
- Present Tense: laugh, am/is/are laughing, has/have laughed, has/have been laughing
- Future Tense: will laugh, will be laughing, will have laughed, will have been laughing
The Full List of Tenses
The table below shows the full list of the tenses:
| The 4 Past Tenses | Example 1 | Example 2 |
| simple past tense | I went | I laughed |
| past progressive tense | I was going | I was laughing |
| past perfect tense | I had gone | I had laughed |
| past perfect progressive tense | I had been going | I had been laughing |
| The 4 Present Tenses | Example 1 | Example 2 |
| simple present tense | I go | I laugh |
| present progressive tense | I am going | I am laughing |
| present perfect tense | I have gone | I have laughed |
| present perfect progressive tense | I have been going | I have been laughing |
| The 4 Future Tenses | Example 1 | Example 2 |
| simple future tense | I will go | I will laugh |
| future progressive tense | I will be going | I will be laughing |
| future perfect tense | I will have gone | I will have laughed |
| future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going | I will have been laughing |
An Quick Explanation of the Tenses with an Example
The Past Tenses
Simple Past Tense. The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past.
- I ran to the shops.
Past Progressive Tense. The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
- I was running to the shops when I saw Bruno.
Past Perfect Tense. The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place.
- I had run to the shops, but they were closed.
Past Perfect Progressive Tense. The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
- I had been running to the shops, but I have now started walking.
The Present Tenses
Simple Present Tense. The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits.
- I run daily.
Present Progressive Tense. The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present.
- I am running to your house at the moment.
Present Perfect Tense. The present perfect tense is used for actions began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.)
- I have run for 5 miles so far.
Present Perfect Progressive Tense. The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently).
- I have been running for hours.
The Future Tenses
Simple Future Tense. The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future.
- I will run to the shops tomorrow.
Future Progressive Tense. The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
- I will be running to the shops every day after today.
Future Perfect Tense. The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
- I will have run to work by 12 o’clock.
Future Perfect Progressive Tense. The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
- I will have been running for 3 hours by 12 o’clock.
to stride (irregular verb)
| Present Tense | |||
| Simple Present | Present Progressive | Present Perfect | Present Perfect Progressive |
| I stride
you stride he/she/it strides we stride you stride they stride |
I am striding
you are striding he/she/it is striding we are striding you are striding they are striding |
I have stridden
you have stridden he/she/it has stridden we have stridden you have stridden they have stridden |
I have been striding
you have been striding he/she/it has been striding we have been striding you have been striding they have been striding |
| Past Tense | |||
| Simple Past | Past Progressive | Past Perfect | Past Perfect Progressive |
| I strode
you strode he/she/it strode we strode you strode they strode |
I was striding
you were striding he/she/it was striding we were striding you were striding they were striding |
I had stridden
you had stridden he/she/it had stridden we had stridden you had stridden they had stridden |
I had been striding
you had been striding he/she/it had been striding we had been striding you had been striding they had been striding |
| Future Tense | |||
| Simple Future | Future Progressive | Future Perfect | Future Perfect Progressive |
| I will stride
you will stride he/she/it will stride we will stride you will stride they will stride |
I will be striding
you will be striding he/she/it will be striding we will be striding you will be striding they will be striding |
I will have stridden
you will have stridden he/she/it will have stridden we will have stridden you will have stridden they will have stridden |
I will have been striding
you will have been striding he/she/it will have been striding we will have been striding you will have been striding they will have been striding |
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AGH / Jan 2020