Thunder Island

A Simple Overview of the Tenses Used in English.

A simplified reference guide to the English tenses.

Past Simple
An action completed in the past.
  1. I walked.
  2. I didn't walk.
  1. Did I walk?
  2. Didn't I walk?
Past Continuous
An action that overlaps a moment in the past.
  1. I was walking.
  2. I wasn't walking.
  1. Was I walking?
  2. Wasn't I walking?
Past Perfect
A short action completed a moment in the past.
  1. I had walked.
  2. I hadn't walked.
  1. Had I walked?
  2. Hadn't I walked?
Past Perfect Continuous
A long action interrupted by a moment in the past.
  1. I had been walking.
  2. I hadn't been walking.
  1. Had I been walking?
  2. Hadn't I been walking?
Present Simple
An action in the present.
A regularly occurring action.
  1. I walk.
  2. I don't walk.
  1. Do I walk?
  2. Don't I walk?
Present Continuous
An action that overlaps the present.
An action starting in the present.
  1. I am walking.
  2. I'm not walking.
  1. Am I walking?
  2. Aren't I walking?
Present Perfect
A short action completed at an unspecified time before the present.
  1. I have walked.
  2. I haven't walked.
  1. Have I walked?
  2. Haven't I walked?
Present Perfect Continuous
A long action started in the past that is interrupted by the present.
  1. I have been walking.
  2. I haven't been walking.
  1. Have I been walking?
  2. Haven't I been walking?
Future Simple
An action in the future.
  1. I will walk.
  2. I won't walk.
  3. I'm going to walk.
  4. I'm not going to walk.
  1. Will I walk?
  2. Won't I walk?
  3. Am I going to walk?
  4. Aren't I going to walk?
Future Continuous
An action that overlaps a moment in the future.
  1. I will be walking.
  2. I won't be walking.
  3. I am going to be walking.
  4. I'm not going to be walking.
  1. Will I be walking?
  2. Won't I be walking?
  3. Am I going to be walking?
  4. Aren't I going to be walking?
Future Perfect
A short action in the future that will be completed before a time in the future.
  1. I will have walked.
  2. I won't have walked.
  3. I'm going to have walked.
  4. I'm not going to have walked.
  1. Will I have walked?
  2. Won't I have walked?
  3. Am I going to have walked?
  4. Am I not going to have walked?
Future Perfect Continuous
A long action in the future that will continue until it is interrupted by an event in the future.
  1. I will have been walking.
  2. I won't have been walking.
  3. I'm going to have been walking.
  4. I'm not going to have been walking.
  1. Will I have been walking?
  2. Won't I have been walking?
  3. Am I going to have been walking?
  4. Am I not going to have been walking?

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