English has 12 main tenses, built from three time periods (past, present, future) and four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous). Once you see them laid out together, the pattern becomes much easier to remember.

The 12 tenses at a glance

AspectPastPresentFuture
SimpleI workedI workI will work
ContinuousI was workingI am workingI will be working
PerfectI had workedI have workedI will have worked
Perfect ContinuousI had been workingI have been workingI will have been working

What each aspect means

  • Simple: a fact, habit, or single completed action.
  • Continuous: an action in progress at a specific time.
  • Perfect: an action completed before a certain point in time.
  • Perfect Continuous: an action that continued up to a certain point in time, with focus on duration.

Worked examples for each tense

TenseExample
Past SimpleI visited Paris in 2019.
Past ContinuousI was cooking when the phone rang.
Past PerfectI had finished dinner before she arrived.
Past Perfect ContinuousI had been studying for two hours when they called.
Present SimpleI study English every day.
Present ContinuousI am studying for my exam right now.
Present PerfectI have studied three chapters so far.
Present Perfect ContinuousI have been studying since 9 a.m.
Future SimpleI will study tomorrow.
Future ContinuousI will be studying at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
Future PerfectI will have studied the whole book by Friday.
Future Perfect ContinuousBy June, I will have been studying English for five years.
How to remember this: learn the four aspects (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous) as a fixed pattern first, then apply the same pattern to past, present, and future. You are not learning 12 separate rules — you're learning 4 patterns, three times.

Which tenses to prioritise first

If you're at an elementary or intermediate level, focus on these five first — they cover the vast majority of everyday English: present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, and future simple (will / going to). The remaining seven tenses are used far less often and are easier to learn once these five feel automatic.

Keep learning: browse more Grammar notes or head back to the homepage to explore other subjects.