Read it to understand 12 English tenses in seconds!

Present, past, future, in progress, completed
These 5 elements constitute the 12 tenses, do they often make you hate them? Because always do not know in what situation to use which tense to express, it does not matter, read this article will understand in seconds!

A. Present tense

S + V/be (am, are, is)

1. to express a fact
Sam is a high school teacher. He teaches English.

2. describe a recurring action (repeatedly occur)
We go to English class every Friday.

B. Present progressive tense

S + be(am, are, is) + V-ing

1. Talk about what is happening at the moment
Kathy is driving on the way here.

2. including the present period of time
Everybody is talking about the news this week.

C. Past Tense

S + Ved/be (was, were)

1. an action that happened at a certain time in the past
Someone called you yesterday while you were away.

2. describe a fact that has passed
Ted was a doctor for 5 years. Now, he teaches in college.

D. Past progressive tense

S + was/were + V-ing

1. the action that was happening at a certain point in time in the past
The driver was talking on the phone when the accident happened.

2. two actions were going on at the same time in the past
They were chatting while the professor was speaking.

E. Future Tense

S + am/are/is going to + V

F. S + will + V

1. predicting the action that will (will) happen in the future
Look at the clouds! I think it’s going to rain. 2.

2. describe a future plan
The CEO will attend the meeting tomorrow.

G. Future progressive tense

S + will be + V-ing

1. predict what will be going on at a certain time in the future
We will be waiting for you here at 3 pm.

2. to express the future plan of “just in time” or “exactly
Will you be going to the post office tomorrow?

H. Present perfect tense

S + have/has + Vpp

1. to express an experience that has been done before
I have been to Japan, but I have never visited Hokkaido.

2. describe the completion of an action
We have lived here since 2007.
We have lived here for 10 years.

I. Present perfect progressive tense

S + have/has been + V-ing

1. to describe an action that has been happening continuously (from the past to the present)
It has been raining for almost a week.

2. the action usually continues
The phone has been ringing for 3 minutes. can someone pick it up?

J. Past perfect

S + had Vpp

1. an action that was completed before a certain time in the past
Daniel had already been on TV when he was 5. 2.

2. must have past time or action to compare
In 2020, many people in the United Kingdom had moved to other countries.

K. Past perfect progressive tense

S + had been V-ing

1. an action that had been going on before a certain time in the past
Joe had been working hard by the time he was fired.

2. action would not have continued until now
It had been snowing when we arrived.

L. Future perfect tense

S + will have Vpp

1. the action that will be completed before a certain time in the future
The train will have left at 6 o’clock.

(Compare with future tense)
The train will leave at 6 o’clock. 2.

The train will leave at 6 o’clock. 2.
The concert will have begun when you get there.

M. Future progressive tense

S + will have been V-ing

1. The action that will continue until a certain time in the future
The guest will have been waiting too long when he comes back.

2. The action is expected to continue
Jerry will have been teaching for 10 years in 2020.