A tense chart is a table that lists all 12 English tenses with the formula for each tense and a sample sentence that illustrates it. When you revise for an exam or check a sentence, you find the form you need in a single lookup.
Every tense in the chart refers to one of three time frames, present, past, or future. Each time frame is divided into four types, simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous, and three time frames multiplied by four types give 12 tenses.
Once the type of a tense is known, its formula follows from it. Continuous tenses are formed with be and the -ing verb, perfect tenses with have and the past participle (V3), and perfect continuous tenses with have been and the -ing verb. Only the simple present and the simple past are formed without a helping verb in affirmative sentences.
Tense Chart for All 12 English Tenses
The verb write is conjugated in all 12 rows of the chart below, so the only difference between one row and the next is the tense. Read each row from left to right for the tense, its formula, and its sample sentence, and read the rows from top to bottom to compare present, past, and future.
| Tense | Formula | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | Sub + V1 (+s/es) | She writes a letter. |
| Present continuous | Sub + am/is/are + V1-ing | She is writing a letter. |
| Present perfect | Sub + has/have + V3 | She has written a letter. |
| Present perfect continuous | Sub + has/have been + V1-ing | She has been writing a letter. |
| Simple past | Sub + V2 | She wrote a letter. |
| Past continuous | Sub + was/were + V1-ing | She was writing a letter. |
| Past perfect | Sub + had + V3 | She had written a letter. |
| Past perfect continuous | Sub + had been + V1-ing | She had been writing a letter. |
| Simple future | Sub + will + V1 | She will write a letter. |
| Future continuous | Sub + will be + V1-ing | She will be writing a letter. |
| Future perfect | Sub + will have + V3 | She will have written a letter. |
| Future perfect continuous | Sub + will have been + V1-ing | She will have been writing a letter. |
Every tense name in the chart links to a full lesson on that tense, which explains the formula in detail.
What Is a Tense Chart?
A tense chart is a table that lists all 12 English tenses with the formula, the signal words, and a sample sentence for each tense. It is based on three time frames (present, past, and future) and four types (simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous), so every tense corresponds to one combination of a time frame and a type.
You consult a tense chart in three situations:
- While you write, you check the chart for the verb form that the sentence requires.
- When two tenses look alike, such as the present perfect and the simple past, you compare their formulas in the chart.
- Before an exam, you review all 12 formulas in one table and test yourself with the quiz.
In each case, a single lookup in the chart answers the question, and no search through twelve separate lessons is needed.
Helping Verbs and Verb Forms in the Tense Chart
Every formula in the chart consists of two parts, a helping verb and a verb form, and the table below lists the helping verbs with the tenses that require them.
| Helping verb | Forms | Tenses that require it | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | am, is, are, was, were, will be | Continuous tenses | She is writing a letter. |
| have | have, has, had, will have | Perfect tenses | She has written a letter. |
| have been | have been, has been, had been, will have been | Perfect continuous tenses | She has been writing a letter. |
| do | do, does, did | Negative and question forms of the simple present and simple past | She does not write letters. |
| will | will | Simple future | She will write a letter. |
Each helping verb is followed by one of the verb forms defined next.
V1, V2, V3 and the -ing Form
Each formula in the chart is written with a short set of abbreviations, and the table below defines them, using the verb write as the model.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Form of write | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub | The subject | she | All tenses |
| V1 | The base verb | write | Simple present, simple future, and after do, did, and will |
| V1 (+s/es) | The base verb with -s or -es | writes | Simple present after he, she, and it |
| V1-ing | The -ing form | writing | Continuous and perfect continuous tenses |
| V2 | The past form | wrote | Simple past |
| V3 | The past participle | written | Perfect tenses |
| Obj | The object | a letter | All tenses |
| Wh- word | A question word such as what, where, when, why, or how | what | Wh- questions |
Regular verbs have the same form for V2 and V3 (played, played), while irregular verbs such as write have two different forms (wrote, written), so identify the verb type before you choose V2 or V3.
The Four Types: Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous
Once the abbreviations are known, the formula of any tense follows from its type, and the table below compares the four types in the present tense.
| Type | Used for | Formula pattern | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | Facts, habits, and finished actions | V1, V2, or will + V1 | She writes a letter. |
| Continuous | Actions in progress | be + V1-ing | She is writing a letter. |
| Perfect | Actions completed before a point in time | have + V3 | She has written a letter. |
| Perfect continuous | Actions that have been going on up to a point in time | have been + V1-ing | She has been writing a letter. |
The simple type states an action without reference to its duration, while the continuous type emphasizes that the action is in progress. The perfect type relates an action to an earlier point in time, and the perfect continuous type adds the duration of the action up to that point. These four distinctions form the columns of the tenses table that follows.
Tenses Table: Present, Past and Future Side by Side
In the tenses table below, the four types form the columns and the three time frames form the rows, so each cell contains one form of write. Reading across a row compares the four types within one time frame, and reading down a column compares one type across present, past, and future.
The three charts after the table divide the grid by time frame, so the present, the past, and the future are studied separately.
| Time | Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | writes | is writing | has written | has been writing |
| Past | wrote | was writing | had written | had been writing |
| Future | will write | will be writing | will have written | will have been writing |
Present Tense Chart
Start with the present tense chart, which contains the four tenses that relate an action to now. The simple present states habits and facts, and the present continuous expresses an action in progress. The present perfect relates a finished action to now, and the present perfect continuous expresses an action that began earlier and continues.
| Tense | Formula | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | Sub + V1 (+s/es) | She writes a letter every day. |
| Present continuous | Sub + am/is/are + V1-ing | She is writing a letter now. |
| Present perfect | Sub + has/have + V3 | She has written a letter. |
| Present perfect continuous | Sub + has/have been + V1-ing | She has been writing a letter for an hour. |
The past tense chart contains the same four types, applied to the past.
Past Tense Chart
The past tense chart contains the four tenses that locate an action before now. The simple past states a finished action, and the past continuous expresses an action in progress at a past moment. The past perfect expresses the earlier of two past actions, and the past perfect continuous expresses a duration that ended at a later past moment.
| Tense | Formula | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Simple past | Sub + V2 | She wrote a letter yesterday. |
| Past continuous | Sub + was/were + V1-ing | She was writing a letter at 7 p.m. |
| Past perfect | Sub + had + V3 | She had written a letter before he arrived. |
| Past perfect continuous | Sub + had been + V1-ing | She had been writing a letter for an hour. |
The future tense chart is the last of the three.
Future Tense Chart
The future tense chart contains the four tenses that locate an action after now. The simple future states a plan or prediction, and the future continuous expresses an action in progress at a future time. The future perfect expresses an action completed before a future time, and the future perfect continuous expresses a duration that continues up to a future time.
| Tense | Formula | Sample sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Simple future | Sub + will + V1 | She will write a letter tomorrow. |
| Future continuous | Sub + will be + V1-ing | She will be writing a letter at noon. |
| Future perfect | Sub + will have + V3 | She will have written a letter by Friday. |
| Future perfect continuous | Sub + will have been + V1-ing | She will have been writing a letter for an hour by noon. |
Tense Chart With Formulas, Rules and Examples
The grid above shows how the 12 tenses relate to each other, and the next step is to learn when each one is used. This tense chart with rules and examples lists for every tense its rule, its affirmative formula, and two sample sentences. The signal words and the negative and question forms follow in the two subsections after it.
| Tense | Rule | Formula | Sample sentences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple present | Habits, routines, general truths, and fixed schedules | Sub + V1 (+s/es) + Obj | She plays tennis every weekend. The train leaves at 6 a.m. |
| Present continuous | Actions happening now and fixed plans in the near future | Sub + am/is/are + V1-ing + Obj | He is reading a book at the moment. We are meeting the client tomorrow. |
| Present perfect | Finished actions at an unstated time, and past actions whose result is still true now | Sub + has/have + V3 + Obj | She has finished her homework. They have visited Paris twice. |
| Present perfect continuous | Actions that began in the past and continue now, with emphasis on duration | Sub + has/have been + V1-ing + Obj + since/for | I have been studying for two hours. They have been playing football since morning. |
| Simple past | Actions finished at a definite time in the past | Sub + V2 + Obj | She wrote a letter yesterday. We visited the museum last week. |
| Past continuous | Actions in progress at a moment in the past, including actions that another action interrupted | Sub + was/were + V1-ing + Obj | He was cooking dinner when I called. They were watching TV at that time. |
| Past perfect | The earlier of two past actions | Sub + had + V3 + Obj | She had finished her task before the meeting. The train had left when we reached the station. |
| Past perfect continuous | Actions that continued until a later moment in the past, with emphasis on duration | Sub + had been + V1-ing + Obj + since/for | He had been working there for five years before he quit. They had been waiting for an hour before the bus arrived. |
| Simple future | Plans, predictions, and promises about a later time | Sub + will + V1 + Obj | I will visit you tomorrow. They will attend the concert next week. |
| Future continuous | Actions that will be in progress at a set time in the future | Sub + will be + V1-ing + Obj | She will be working at 6 p.m. They will be travelling to Japan next month. |
| Future perfect | Actions that will be completed before a set time in the future | Sub + will have + V3 + Obj | By tomorrow, I will have completed the project. She will have graduated by next year. |
| Future perfect continuous | Actions that will have continued for a period by a set time in the future, with emphasis on duration | Sub + will have been + V1-ing + Obj + since/for | By next month, I will have been working here for two years. They will have been travelling for a week by the time they return. |
Use the rule column to decide which tense a situation requires, then write the sentence with the formula in the next column.
Signal Words Chart for Each Tense
Signal words are time expressions such as yesterday or since, and identifying one limits the choice of tense before you apply the formula.
| Tense | Signal words |
|---|---|
| Simple present | every day, always, usually, often, never, on Sundays |
| Present continuous | now, right now, at the moment, currently, tonight, tomorrow |
| Present perfect | already, just, yet, ever, never, so far, recently |
| Present perfect continuous | since, for, all day, all week, lately, how long |
| Simple past | yesterday, last week, ago, in 2019, then |
| Past continuous | while, when, as, at 7 p.m., all evening |
| Past perfect | before, after, by the time, already, when |
| Past perfect continuous | for, since, before, how long, all day |
| Simple future | tomorrow, next week, soon, later, in the future |
| Future continuous | at 6 p.m., this time tomorrow, next month, later |
| Future perfect | by tomorrow, by then, by next year, before |
| Future perfect continuous | by then, for, by next month, all day |
Some signal words occur with more than one tense. Already is used with both the present perfect and the past perfect. Since and for are used with both the perfect and the perfect continuous tenses, so the verb form in the sentence confirms the tense.
Tense Chart for Negative and Interrogative Forms
Once you have chosen a tense, you still need its negative and question forms. Each tense has four sentence types, affirmative, negative, question, and Wh- question, and the affirmative formulas are in the table above.
| Tense | Negative | Question | Wh- question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple present | Sub + do/does not + V1 | Do/Does + Sub + V1? | Wh- word + do/does + Sub + V1? |
| Present continuous | Sub + am/is/are + not + V1-ing | Am/Is/Are + Sub + V1-ing? | Wh- word + am/is/are + Sub + V1-ing? |
| Present perfect | Sub + has/have + not + V3 | Has/Have + Sub + V3? | Wh- word + has/have + Sub + V3? |
| Present perfect continuous | Sub + has/have not been + V1-ing | Has/Have + Sub + been + V1-ing? | Wh- word + has/have + Sub + been + V1-ing? |
| Simple past | Sub + did not + V1 | Did + Sub + V1? | Wh- word + did + Sub + V1? |
| Past continuous | Sub + was/were + not + V1-ing | Was/Were + Sub + V1-ing? | Wh- word + was/were + Sub + V1-ing? |
| Past perfect | Sub + had not + V3 | Had + Sub + V3? | Wh- word + had + Sub + V3? |
| Past perfect continuous | Sub + had not been + V1-ing | Had + Sub + been + V1-ing? | Wh- word + had + Sub + been + V1-ing? |
| Simple future | Sub + will not + V1 | Will + Sub + V1? | Wh- word + will + Sub + V1? |
| Future continuous | Sub + will not be + V1-ing | Will + Sub + be + V1-ing? | Wh- word + will + Sub + be + V1-ing? |
| Future perfect | Sub + will not have + V3 | Will + Sub + have + V3? | Wh- word + will + Sub + have + V3? |
| Future perfect continuous | Sub + will not have been + V1-ing | Will + Sub + have been + V1-ing? | Wh- word + will + Sub + have been + V1-ing? |
The helping verb do (do, does, did) is used only in the negative and question forms of the simple present and the simple past, as in She does not write and Does she write?
Tense Chart Timeline: Diagram of the 12 Tenses
A timeline represents the tense chart visually: the 12 tenses are arranged on a single line from past to future, with the moment of speaking in the middle. The diagram below shows each tense at the point or period of time it refers to.
Read the timeline from left to right:
- Before now: the four past tenses refer to this period, and the past perfect refers to a point earlier than the simple past.
- At now: the simple present and the present continuous refer to this moment.
- Up to now: the present perfect and the present perfect continuous relate earlier actions to the moment of speaking.
- After now: the four future tenses refer to this period, and the future perfect refers to the point by which an action is complete.
To identify the tense of a sentence, find its position on this line first, and then match that position to a row in the chart.
Common Tense Chart Mistakes and Corrections
Five mistakes remain common even when the chart is available. Each one violates a formula from the tense chart, so every wrong sentence below is followed by the correct sentence and the rule behind the correction.
| Mistake | Incorrect โ | Correct โ | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present perfect with a finished time | I have seen her yesterday. | I saw her yesterday. | Yesterday refers to a finished time, so the sentence requires the simple past instead of the present perfect. |
| Stative verb in the continuous form | I am knowing the answer. | I know the answer. | Know refers to a state and not an action, so it takes the simple form, and the same applies to believe, like, and own. |
| Missing been in a perfect continuous | She has working here for years. | She has been working here for years. | A perfect continuous requires been between the helping verb and the -ing verb. |
| Base verb in place of the past form | He go to school yesterday. | He went to school yesterday. | The simple past is formed with V2 (went) and not with the base verb (go). |
| Missing -s after he, she, it | She write a page every morning. | She writes a page every morning. | In the simple present, a verb takes -s or -es after he, she, and it. |
If one of these mistakes occurs in your own writing, check the matching row of the chart and compare the formula.
Tense Chart PDF: Free Printable in Letter and A4
A printed copy lets you consult the tense chart while you write or revise. The tense chart PDF contains the 12-tense chart and the tenses table on two pages, in US Letter size and in A4 size, and you choose the file that matches your printer. Letter is the standard paper size in the US and Canada, and A4 is the standard size in India, the UK, and most other countries.
| File | Paper size | Pages | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tense chart PDF (A4) | 210 ร 297 mm | 2 | Page 1: the 12-tense chart with formulas and sample sentences. Page 2: the tenses table and the signal words for each tense. |
| Tense chart PDF (Letter) | 8.5 ร 11 in | 2 | Same contents as the A4 file. |
To print the chart:
- Choose the file that matches your paper size.
- Print at 100% scale, in color if available, because the three time frames are color-coded.
- Keep the printed chart at your study desk or attach it to your grammar notebook.
After printing, you use the chart together with the quiz later on this page.
Tense Chart for ESL Students
If you are learning English as a second language, you study all 12 tenses within a single course, so a fixed study routine is more effective than extra rules. The routine below has three steps, each based on the tense chart:
- Study one time frame at a time in the present, past, and future tense charts.
- Match each sentence to a signal word and a formula.
- Test the result with the quiz and correct every wrong answer.
The routine below is scheduled over four weeks, using the verb write as the model.
| Week | Focus | Task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Present tense chart | Write two sentences for each of the four present tenses. |
| 2 | Past tense chart | Rewrite the week 1 sentences in the four past tenses and add a signal word to each. |
| 3 | Future tense chart | Rewrite the same sentences in the four future tenses. |
| 4 | All 12 tenses | Take the quiz twice and correct each wrong answer with its formula. |
By week 4 you have written all 12 tenses yourself, so the quiz tests what you have practiced.
How to Remember the 12 Tenses in the Chart
The five habits below support long-term recall of the chart.
- Begin with the time frame (present, past, or future), because every other choice depends on it.
- Add the type next, since the helping verb depends on the type: be for continuous, have for perfect, and have been for perfect continuous.
- Conjugate a single verb in all 12 tenses, as the verb write is conjugated in the tense chart above, so that only the form changes.
- Check the signal words: since and for indicate a duration, yesterday indicates the simple past, and by indicates the future perfect.
- Finish with the quiz below by naming the tense of each sentence before reading the answer.
FAQs
There are 12 tenses in English. The number three refers only to the time frames (present, past, future), and each time frame has four types.
The 12 tenses are simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.
The difference is in the kind of action each form describes. The simple form states a fact, a habit, or a finished action, and the continuous form stresses an action in progress. The perfect form relates an action to a reference point, while the perfect continuous form adds the duration of that action up to the point.
A tense chart is read row by row, from the tense name to the formula and then the sample sentence. In a tenses table, reading down a column compares one type across the three time frames.
Since, for, how long, and all day are the signal words of the perfect continuous tenses, because each of them indicates how long an action has been going on.
Yes, a free tense chart PDF is available in A4 and Letter sizes on this page. Both files contain the 12-tense chart on page 1 and the tenses table with signal words on page 2.
Tense worksheets for practice
- Present Indefinite Tense Worksheets
- Present Continuous Tense Worksheets
- Present Perfect Tense Worksheets
- Present Perfect Continuous Worksheets
- Past Continuous Tense Worksheets
- Worksheet Tenses
12 English Tenses Chart Quiz
12 English Tenses Chart
Name the tense.
She writes a page every morning.
The marker the base verb with -s for a habit identifies the present simple.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She writes a page every morning.
Name the tense.
She is writing a page right now.
The marker am/is/are plus the -ing form identifies the present continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She is writing a page right now.
Name the tense.
She has written three pages today.
The marker has/have plus the past participle identifies the present perfect.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She has written three pages today.
Name the tense.
She has been writing for an hour.
The marker has/have been plus the -ing form identifies the present perfect continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She has been writing for an hour.
Name the tense.
She wrote a page yesterday.
The marker the past form with a finished time identifies the past simple.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She wrote a page yesterday.
Name the tense.
She was writing when I called.
The marker was/were plus the -ing form identifies the past continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She was writing when I called.
Name the tense.
She had written the page before noon.
The marker had plus the past participle for an earlier past identifies the past perfect.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She had written the page before noon.
Name the tense.
She had been writing for an hour when he arrived.
The marker had been plus the -ing form identifies the past perfect continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She had been writing for an hour when he arrived.
Name the tense.
She will write the page tomorrow.
The marker will plus the base verb identifies the future simple.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She will write the page tomorrow.
Name the tense.
She will be writing at noon tomorrow.
The marker will be plus the -ing form identifies the future continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She will be writing at noon tomorrow.
Name the tense.
She will have written the page by Friday.
The marker will have plus the past participle identifies the future perfect.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She will have written the page by Friday.
Name the tense.
By then she will have been writing for hours.
The marker will have been plus the -ing form identifies the future perfect continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
By then she will have been writing for hours.
Name the tense.
The train left an hour ago.
The marker the past form with a finished time marker identifies the past simple.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
The train left an hour ago.
Name the tense.
I am meeting the client tomorrow.
The marker am/is/are plus -ing for a fixed arrangement identifies the present continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
I am meeting the client tomorrow.
Name the tense.
He was sleeping when the alarm rang.
The marker was/were plus -ing around a past moment identifies the past continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
He was sleeping when the alarm rang.
Name the tense.
We had eaten before the film started.
The marker had plus the past participle for the earlier action identifies the past perfect.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
We had eaten before the film started.
Name the tense.
She has been teaching since 2010.
The marker has been plus -ing with 'since' identifies the present perfect continuous.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
She has been teaching since 2010.
True or false?
'They play football on Sundays' is in the present simple.
A repeated action with the base verb is the present simple.
present simple names habits and facts
They play football on Sundays.
True or false?
'I have seen that film' is in the past simple.
'Have seen' is the present perfect โ has/have plus the past participle, not the past simple.
has/have + participle = present perfect
I have seen that film.
Name the tense.
By 2030 we will have moved abroad.
The marker will have plus the past participle before a future point identifies the future perfect.
match the auxiliary and verb form to the tense
By 2030 we will have moved abroad.
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