English · Grammar · SSC & HSC
Tense — 12 Tenses with Structure, Rules & Examples
All twelve tenses in one table, with the structure, the use and an example sentence for each.
Tense is the form of a verb that shows when an action happens. English has three times — present, past and future — and each has four aspects: indefinite, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous, giving twelve tenses in all. Choose a tense by asking two questions: when did it happen, and is it finished, ongoing, or connected to another moment?
Where it is set: SSC & HSC English — Grammar foundation
Three times, four aspects, twelve tenses
English tense is built from two decisions. First the time: present, past or future. Second the aspect: is the action simply stated (indefinite), in progress (continuous), completed (perfect), or ongoing up to a point (perfect continuous)? Three times multiplied by four aspects gives the twelve tenses.
Seeing it as a grid rather than a list of twelve unrelated names makes it far easier to hold, because the aspect endings behave the same way in all three times.
The twelve tenses at a glance (verb: write)
| Aspect | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | writes / write | wrote | will write |
| Continuous | is writing | was writing | will be writing |
| Perfect | has written | had written | will have written |
| Perfect continuous | has been writing | had been writing | will have been writing |
- ✓ He writes a letter every week. — present indefinite — a habit
- ✓ He has been writing since morning. — present perfect continuous — started earlier, still going
What each aspect actually means
The names are less helpful than the ideas behind them. Once you know what each aspect is for, choosing a tense becomes a question about the situation rather than about grammar.
- Indefinite — states the fact, with no interest in duration: habits, general truths, finished events.
- Continuous — the action is in progress at the moment being talked about, and is temporary.
- Perfect — the action is complete, and the point is its result or its relevance now (or at some past or future moment).
- Perfect continuous — the action began earlier and has continued up to the moment being talked about; duration is the point.
- ✓ I live in Dhaka. / I am living in Dhaka. — permanent versus temporary
- ✓ I have read the book. / I have been reading the book. — finished versus still going
The present tenses in detail
| Tense | Structure | Main uses | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present indefinite | S + V1 (+s/es) | habits, general truths, timetables | The sun rises in the east. |
| Present continuous | S + am/is/are + V-ing | happening now, temporary, fixed future plans | She is cooking now. |
| Present perfect | S + have/has + V3 | finished action with a present result, life experience | I have finished my work. |
| Present perfect continuous | S + have/has been + V-ing | action from a past point continuing now | He has been reading for two hours. |
- ✗ I am knowing the answer. ✓ I know the answer. — state verbs take no continuous form
- ✗ I have seen him yesterday. ✓ I saw him yesterday. — a finished past time forbids the present perfect
The past and future tenses in detail
| Tense | Structure | Main uses | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past indefinite | S + V2 | a finished action at a stated past time | He came here yesterday. |
| Past continuous | S + was/were + V-ing | an action in progress in the past, often interrupted | I was reading when he came. |
| Past perfect | S + had + V3 | the earlier of two past actions | The train had left before we arrived. |
| Past perfect continuous | S + had been + V-ing | duration up to a past point | She had been waiting for an hour. |
| Future indefinite | S + will + V1 | a plain future fact or decision | I will call you tomorrow. |
| Future continuous | S + will be + V-ing | in progress at a future moment | I will be travelling at noon. |
| Future perfect | S + will have + V3 | completed before a future point | I will have finished by Friday. |
| Future perfect continuous | S + will have been + V-ing | duration up to a future point | By June he will have been working here for five years. |
- ✓ While I was cooking, the phone rang. — a longer past action interrupted by a shorter one
- ✓ He had eaten before I reached. — past perfect for the earlier action
Verbs that resist the continuous
A group of verbs describes states rather than actions, and states cannot be "in progress". Putting them into a continuous tense is one of the most visible errors a student can make.
- Thinking and knowing: know, believe, understand, remember, forget, mean.
- Feeling and wanting: like, love, hate, want, prefer, need.
- Sensing: see, hear, smell, taste — when they describe involuntary perception.
- Being and having: be, have (possess), belong, own, contain, consist, seem.
- ⚠️ Some of these do take a continuous when the meaning shifts to an action: I am having lunch (eating), He is seeing the manager (meeting), She is thinking about it (considering).
- ✗ She is having a car. ✓ She has a car. — have meaning “possess”
- ✓ She is having breakfast. — have meaning “eat” is an action, so the continuous is fine
Practice
Work through these before you check the answers — the reasoning matters more than the answer.
- He ___ (go) to school every day.
- Look! The baby ___ (cry).
- I ___ (finish) my homework already.
- She ___ (read) since morning.
- While I ___ (walk) home, it started to rain.
- The train ___ (leave) before we reached the station.
- By next June he ___ (complete) his degree.
- I ___ (know) him for ten years.
Answers
- goes — present indefinite for a habit.
- is crying — “Look!” signals something happening now.
- have finished — present perfect with “already”.
- has been reading — action from a past point continuing now.
- was walking — a longer past action interrupted.
- had left — the earlier of two past actions.
- will have completed — finished before a future point.
- have known — a state verb, so no continuous even though the sense is durative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Twelve, formed from three times (present, past, future) and four aspects (indefinite, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). Some linguists argue English has only two true tenses because the future is formed with a modal, but for SSC and HSC the answer is twelve, and the grid is the way to learn them.
The past indefinite fixes the action at a finished past time and is used whenever that time is stated or understood: “I saw him yesterday.” The present perfect connects a completed action to now and cannot take a finished past time: “I have seen him” is fine, “I have seen him yesterday” is not. If the sentence names when, use the past indefinite.
Because know describes a state, not an action, and a state cannot be in progress. The same applies to believe, understand, want, belong and own. A few of these verbs take a continuous when their meaning changes to an activity — “I am having lunch” means eating, not possessing.
Only when two past actions are being related and you need to show which came first. “The train had left before we arrived” marks the leaving as earlier. When the order is already clear from a word like before or after, many writers use two past indefinites instead, and boards accept that — but the past perfect is never wrong there.
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Every grammar rule, plus paragraphs, compositions and applications for SSC and HSC.