The Three English Tenses

• English has three tenses in the indicative mood: past, present, and future. These tenses show when the action happens. Here is an explanation of each, with examples in the active voice. (For more on voice, see our Passive vs. Active Voice resource.)
• The past tense indicates that the action has happened in the past.
  • He walked to the store.
  • He was walking to the store.
  • He had walked to the store.
  • He had been walking to the store.
• The present tense indicates that the action is currently happening.
  • He walks to the store.
  • He is walking to the store.
  • He has walked to the store. (Note that this example is logically equivalent to the first example of the past tense above. In other words, “He has walked” means the same as “He walked.” See the next section for the distinction between the simple and perfect forms.)
  • He has been walking to the store.
• The future tense indicates that the action is going to happen.
  • He will walk to the store.
  • He will be walking to the store.
  • He will have walked to the store.
  • He will have been walking to the store.

The Four Forms of Tenses

• English has four forms of tenses: simple, continuous/imperfect/progressive, perfect, and perfect continuous. Here is an explanation of each, with examples in the active voice.
• The simple form of each tense indicates an action occurring at a specific point in time. In the present, it can also express a general rule.
  • Past: I cooked breakfast yesterday morning.
  • Present: I cook breakfast every morning. (Note: Usually used to refer to patterns.)
  • Future: I will cook breakfast tomorrow morning.
• The continuous form of each tense indicates an action occurring over a length of time. It usually takes the form of the verb “to be” (in the past, present, or future) plus the present participle of the action verb (ending in -ing).
  • Past: I was cooking breakfast.
  • Present: I am cooking breakfast.
  • Future: I will be cooking breakfast.
• The perfect form of each tense indicates an action having been completed at the time of another action. It usually takes the form of the verb “to have” (in the past, present, or future) plus the simple past form of the action verb (ending in -ed).
  • Past: I had cooked breakfast before my brother arrived. (Note: In many cases, this is redundant. There are exceptions, but most times, it is safe to just use the "simple past" - I cooked breakfast before my brother arrived.)
  • Present: I have cooked breakfast for most of my life. (Note: You can think of the present perfect as being “up until now.”)
  • Future: I will have cooked breakfast by the time you have arrived tomorrow.
• The perfect continuous form of each tense indicates an action occurring over a length of time, up to a point in time. It usually takes the form of the verb “to have” (in the past, present, or future), plus the word “been,” plus the present participle of the action verb (ending in -ing).
  • Past: I had been cooking breakfast until you called.
  • Present: I have been cooking breakfast for 20 minutes now.
  • Future: I will have been cooking breakfast for 4 hours when you arrive later today.

Here is a chart showing all the combinations of tenses and forms:

Preferred Tenses for Academic Disciplines

Each academic discipline has a preferred tense. When writing in a discipline, you should try to stick to that tense unless it is grammatically appropriate to change tenses (e.g. when a history paper mentions a future event).

Unsure of what tense to use in your paper? Feel free to email us at learningservices@tyndale.ca.