TENSES
In this review of all important grammatical tenses , you will find brief explanations about the use of the different tenses, how to form them, and short examples for each tense.
For more information about all English tenses or a complete overview, please download the printable PDF documents listed at the bottom of this page.
Overview - Irregular Verbs - Forms of "to be"
Past Perfect Tenses - Past Tenses - Present Perfect Tenses - Present Tenses - Future Tenses
SOME GENERAL FACTS ABOUT ENGLISH TENSES:
Firstly, unlike in many other languages like German, the English tenses follow very strict rules. However, it must be said that in real life, especially in the United States, these rules are not always obeyed as consequently as your teacher may ask you to do. All the rules can be found on the following pages.
In the English language, there are more tenses than in most languages because every tense can be put into two different forms, the "simple" form and the "progressive" form (also called "continuous" form or "ing" form). The differences between the two forms can sometimes be tricky, but they are usually very important to know.
Also, in English there are many different ways to talk about the future. Apart from the two most common future tenses - the "will" future and the "going to" future, there are several other tenses that can be used to refer to future events. This is also the reason why on this site, the tenses section has been divided into "normal" tenses and "future" tenses.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the English (irregular) verb "to be" is very important for the formation of several tenses (all progressive tenses and the "going to" future. Therefore, there is a separate section which lists all forms of "to be" in all tenses.
All other irregular verbs can be found in the irregular verb chart.
Overview - Irregular Verbs - Forms of "to be"
Past Perfect Tenses - Past Tenses - Present Perfect Tenses - Present Tenses - Future Tenses
Intensive Grammar Course - Tenses [in German!]
Intensive Grammar Course - key to exercises [in German!]
In this Intensive Grammar Course you will find extensive explanations for all English Tenses. It discusses the use of different tense forms as well as the grammatical forms of all the tenses. Furthermore you can check if you have understood everything in short exercises after each chapter.
short overview of all tenses (except future tenses) [in German!]
short overview of all future tenses [in German!]
These two grammar charts give you a quick overview on all tenses. They are in PDF format, so you can print them out and pin them onto your wall. They can really help you get familiar with the English tenses, so I strongly recommend you download them and have a look!
Please visit the following sites for more on English tenses:
The English Page offers numerous resources for learners of English as a Second Language (ESL).
On this site (www.englishpage.de.vu or englishpage.iris-solutions.org) learners can find all the Grammar Rules and explanations in English, German and Spanish, as well as a great variety of exercises to train and test their Grammar skills: All English tenses (Present Tense Simple, Present Tense Progressive, Past Tense Simple, Past Tense Progressive, Present Perfect Tenses, Past Perfect Tenses, Future Tenses - will & going to future, Mixed tenses); Active or Passive, Indirect Speech (= Reported Speech), Conditionals (if-sentences), Relative Clauses and Contact Clauses, Adjective or Adverb, some - any and other determiners, Gerund or Infinitive, rules for Questions and Negation, Modal Verbs (can, may, must, shall, might...) and of course Irregular Verbs, as well as linking words and other grammar topics are all included in the Grammar section! Start learning English TODAY! Test your knowledge of ESL on downloadable grammar exercise sheets in PDF format and revise the rules!