Introduction

As you can no doubt imagine, verb tenses are at the core of any language course. Be sure to mark the above sub-chapters (with a sticky note, bookmark, etc.) so that you can find your way back here quickly. Use this site's menu (or use the search field) to learn more about the specific verb tense that interests you.

A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and conditions

There are many ways of categorising the twelve possible verb tenses. The verb tenses may be categorised according to the time frame: past tenses, present tenses, and future tenses.

Verb Tense: Aspect

Verb tenses may also be categorised according to aspect. Aspect refers to the nature of the action described by the verb. There are three aspects: indefinite (or simple), complete (or perfect), continuing (or progressive).

The three indefinite tenses, or simple tenses, describe an action but do not state whether the action is finished:

• the simple past ("I went")

• the simple present ("I go")

• the simple future ("I will go")

A verb in the indefinite aspect is used when the beginning or ending of an action, an event, or condition is unknown or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence. The indefinite aspect is also used to used to indicate an habitual or repeated action, event, or condition.

It is also possible to combine the complete tenses and the incomplete tenses, to describe an action which was in progress and then finished:

• the past perfect progressive ("I had been going")

• the present perfect progressive ("I have been going")

• the future perfect progressive ("I will have been going")