An English tense chart lets you compare verb forms without working through a full grammar lesson each time. You can quickly check whether a structure needs has, had, will have, been, an -ing form, or a past participle.
The traditional tense chart groups twelve commonly taught forms into present, past, and future sections. The tables below show their structures, typical uses, and examples, followed by the negative and question patterns you are most likely to need when checking a sentence.
12 English Tenses Chart
| Tense | Basic Structure | Typical Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | subject + base verb (+ s/es) | habits, states, facts, regular situations | The archive closes at six on weekdays. |
| Present Continuous | subject + am/is/are + verb-ing | ongoing, temporary, or changing situations | The archive is digitizing its oldest records. |
| Present Perfect | subject + have/has + past participle | earlier situations connected with the present | The archive has added several new collections this year. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | subject + have/has been + verb-ing | ongoing or repeated activity leading up to the present | Researchers have been cataloguing the manuscripts since January. |
| Past Simple | subject + past form | situations located in past time | The archive acquired the collection in 2018. |
| Past Continuous | subject + was/were + verb-ing | activity in progress at a past time | Staff were examining the documents when the alarm sounded. |
| Past Perfect | subject + had + past participle | a situation earlier than another past reference point | The curator had completed the inventory before the inspection began. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | subject + had been + verb-ing | ongoing activity leading up to a past point | The team had been restoring the maps for months before the exhibition opened. |
| Future Simple | subject + will + base verb | predictions, decisions, promises, offers, and other future meanings | The archive will publish the index next month. |
| Future Continuous | subject + will be + verb-ing | activity expected to be in progress at a future time | Staff will be preparing the new exhibition throughout July. |
| Future Perfect | subject + will have + past participle | a situation expected before a future reference point | The team will have scanned every document by Friday. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | subject + will have been + verb-ing | continuing activity measured up to a future point | By October, the researchers will have been studying the collection for two years. |
How the 12-Tense Chart Is Organized
The chart follows four recurring patterns across the traditional present, past, and future groups.
| Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | present simple | present continuous | present perfect | present perfect continuous |
| Past | past simple | past continuous | past perfect | past perfect continuous |
| Future | future simple | future continuous | future perfect | future perfect continuous |
The pattern becomes easier to recognize when you focus on the auxiliaries.
Continuous forms contain a form of be + verb-ing.
is reviewing
was reviewing
will be reviewing
Perfect forms contain a form of have + past participle.
has reviewed
had reviewed
will have reviewed
Perfect continuous forms combine both patterns.
has been reviewing
had been reviewing
will have been reviewing
This gives you a useful structural shortcut without needing to memorize every row independently.
Present Tense Structures
Present Simple
Affirmative:
subject + base verb
Add -s or -es with a third-person singular subject.
The laboratory tests each sample twice.
Negative:
subject + do/does not + base verb
The laboratory doesn’t process samples on Sundays.
Question:
do/does + subject + base verb?
Does the laboratory store the results electronically?
After does, the main verb returns to its base form.
Correct:
Does the laboratory store the data?
Not:
Does the laboratory stores the data?
Present Continuous
Affirmative:
subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
The laboratory is upgrading its ventilation system.
Negative:
subject + am/is/are not + verb-ing
The technicians aren’t using the main testing room today.
Question:
am/is/are + subject + verb-ing?
Are the technicians calibrating the new equipment?
Present Perfect
Affirmative:
subject + have/has + past participle
The research group has published its preliminary findings.
Negative:
subject + have/has not + past participle
The research group hasn’t released the raw data.
Question:
have/has + subject + past participle?
Has the research group completed the second trial?
Present Perfect Continuous
Affirmative:
subject + have/has been + verb-ing
The researchers have been monitoring the site since March.
Negative:
subject + have/has not been + verb-ing
They haven’t been collecting samples during the storm.
Question:
have/has + subject + been + verb-ing?
Have they been recording temperature changes continuously?
Past Tense Structures
Past Simple
Affirmative:
subject + past form
The committee rejected the first proposal.
Irregular verbs use their own past forms.
The chair wrote the final response herself.
Negative:
subject + did not + base verb
The committee didn’t accept the revised budget.
Question:
did + subject + base verb?
Did the committee consider the alternative plan?
After did, use the base form.
Correct:
Did they approve the proposal?
Not:
Did they approved the proposal?
Past Continuous
Affirmative:
subject + was/were + verb-ing
Engineers were inspecting the bridge when the road closed.
Negative:
subject + was/were not + verb-ing
They weren’t examining the eastern section at the time.
Question:
was/were + subject + verb-ing?
Were the engineers working overnight?
Past Perfect
Affirmative:
subject + had + past participle
The supplier had delivered the equipment before the inspection.
Negative:
subject + had not + past participle
The supplier hadn’t provided the revised documentation.
Question:
had + subject + past participle?
Had the supplier confirmed the delivery date?
Past Perfect Continuous
Affirmative:
subject + had been + verb-ing
The legal team had been negotiating for several weeks.
Negative:
subject + had not been + verb-ing
The two sides hadn’t been discussing compensation before that meeting.
Question:
had + subject + been + verb-ing?
Had both sides been working toward a settlement?
Future Tense Structures
These forms use the traditional future tense labels found in the 12-tense system.
Future Simple
Affirmative:
subject + will + base verb
The agency will announce its decision on Monday.
Negative:
subject + will not + base verb
The agency won’t disclose the confidential documents.
Question:
will + subject + base verb?
Will the agency publish the full report?
After will, use the base form.
will publish
not:
will publishes
Future Continuous
Affirmative:
subject + will be + verb-ing
The review panel will be interviewing candidates tomorrow afternoon.
Negative:
subject + will not be + verb-ing
The panel won’t be meeting on Friday.
Question:
will + subject + be + verb-ing?
Will the panel be reviewing applications next week?
Future Perfect
Affirmative:
subject + will have + past participle
The contractors will have completed the roof by September.
Negative:
subject + will not have + past participle
They won’t have finished the interior by then.
Question:
will + subject + have + past participle?
Will the contractors have installed the windows by winter?
Future Perfect Continuous
Affirmative:
subject + will have been + verb-ing
By June, Maya will have been managing the department for five years.
Negative:
subject + will not have been + verb-ing
By then, the team won’t have been operating the system for a full year.
Question:
will + subject + have been + verb-ing?
Will the team have been testing the software for six months by August?
The Same Verb in All 12 Tense Forms
Using the same lexical verb makes it easier to see how the structure changes.
Here is write across the traditional twelve-form system.
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present Simple | Maya writes the weekly briefing. |
| Present Continuous | Maya is writing the weekly briefing. |
| Present Perfect | Maya has written the weekly briefing. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Maya has been writing the weekly briefing. |
| Past Simple | Maya wrote the weekly briefing. |
| Past Continuous | Maya was writing the weekly briefing. |
| Past Perfect | Maya had written the weekly briefing. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Maya had been writing the weekly briefing. |
| Future Simple | Maya will write the weekly briefing. |
| Future Continuous | Maya will be writing the weekly briefing. |
| Future Perfect | Maya will have written the weekly briefing. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Maya will have been writing the weekly briefing. |
This table is useful for comparing form, but the sentences are not interchangeable in real contexts.
For example:
Maya wrote the briefing yesterday.
uses the past simple because the event is placed in past time.
Maya has written the briefing.
uses the present perfect when the earlier writing is being related to the present situation.
Maya had written the briefing before the meeting began.
uses the past perfect because the writing is viewed as earlier than another past reference point.
The chart shows how the verb changes. The surrounding context determines which form actually fits.
Important Form Patterns to Remember
A few structural rules apply repeatedly across the chart.
Use the Base Verb After Do, Does, and Did
Does she work here?
not:
Does she works here?
Did they finish the review?
not:
Did they finished the review?
Use the Base Verb After Will
The team will return tomorrow.
not:
The team will returns tomorrow.
Use a Past Participle After Have, Has, and Had
has written
had taken
will have completed
Do not assume that a past participle always looks like the simple past form.
For regular verbs:
worked / worked
But irregular verbs may differ:
wrote / written
took / taken
went / gone
Use an -ing Form After the Relevant Form of Be in Continuous Constructions
is working
were working
will be working
Use Been + -ing in Perfect Continuous Forms
has been working
had been working
will have been working
Recognizing these recurring patterns makes the twelve forms much easier to check accurately.
How to Use This Tense Chart
Use the chart when you already know the general meaning you want and need to confirm the structure.
For example, suppose you want to describe an activity that was already happening before another point in the past:
The engineers had been testing the system before the failure occurred.
The chart shows that past perfect continuous uses:
had been + verb-ing
If you need to understand why that tense fits, how it differs from another tense, or how tense and aspect work together, the English verb tenses guide is the better starting point.
The chart’s purpose is simpler: identify the form, check the structure, and verify how the verb should be built.
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