Simple Verb Tenses Cheat Sheet

Are you constantly wondering which verb tense you need to use? This simple verb tenses cheat sheet and brief explanation will help you to understand the ins and outs of every tense we use in English. And remember, the best you can do to tackle verb tenses is practice, practice, practice!

VERB TENSES:

PRESENT SIMPLE

• Daily routine
• Behaviour that happens again and again or is repeated
• Universal facts

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

·         To describe something happening now or around this time. 

PAST SIMPLE

·         Something which has finished and terminated, with no connection to the present.

PAST CONTINUOUS

·         Something which was occuring in the past and still happening at the moment in the story

FUTURE SIMPLE

·         Something which will happen in the future

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

·         For something which will be happening in the future and will be occuring at the time in the story

PRESENT PERFECT

·         Something which you were doing in the past and have finished right now in this present moment.

·         Something which has consequences on the present situation

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

·         Something which you were doing in the past and are still doing it today

PAST PERFECT

·         When you have two past situations and you want to refer to the situation which happened earlier

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

·         Something you had been doing continuously in the past, but has finished

FUTURE PERFECT

·         Something which you would have done in future

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

·         Something which you would be doing in the future

I hope now you can clearly see the difference between the use of English verbs tenses with this simple verb tenses cheat sheet. Go on learning about when to use “especially” or specially”, the Use of English and about passing your First Certificate Exam with flying colors!