Verb Mastery
All 12 English Tenses — Complete Chart with Examples for Kids
English has 12 tenses: 3 times (Present, Past, Future) × 4 types (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous). This is the MOST important grammar chart — print it and stick it on your wall!
Updated: June 8, 2026 · ⏱️ 15 min · Page 9/23 · ⭐⭐ Grade 3-5
🏃 Verbs📖 12 Sentences✏️ 15 Fill-Blanks⚠️ Mistakes❓ 12 Quiz🤓 5 Facts
Present Tenses
Simple Present
V1 / V1+s
Aarav plays cricket every day.
Neg: He does not play.
Q: Does he play?
Signal: always, usually, every day
📌 Habits, facts, routines
Present Continuous
is/am/are + V-ing
She is reading a book right now.
Neg: She is not reading.
Q: Is she reading?
Signal: now, right now, at the moment
📌 Actions happening NOW
Present Perfect
has/have + V3
Priya has finished her homework.
Neg: She has not finished.
Q: Has she finished?
Signal: already, just, yet, ever, since
📌 Completed action, time unknown
Present Perfect Continuous
has/have + been + V-ing
He has been studying for 2 hours.
Neg: He has not been studying.
Q: Has he been studying?
Signal: for, since, all day
📌 Action started in past, still continuing
Past Tenses
Simple Past
V2
Rahul went to Mumbai last week.
Neg: He did not go.
Q: Did he go?
Signal: yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020
📌 Completed past action
Past Continuous
was/were + V-ing
She was cooking when I called.
Neg: She was not cooking.
Q: Was she cooking?
Signal: while, when, at that time
📌 Action in progress in the past
Past Perfect
had + V3
He had eaten before she arrived.
Neg: He had not eaten.
Q: Had he eaten?
Signal: before, after, by the time
📌 Action before another past action
Past Perfect Continuous
had + been + V-ing
She had been waiting for an hour.
Neg: She had not been waiting.
Q: Had she been waiting?
Signal: for, since (before a past event)
📌 Duration before a past event
Future Tenses
Simple Future
will + V1 / shall + V1
I will come tomorrow.
Neg: I will not come.
Q: Will I come?
Signal: tomorrow, next week, soon
📌 Future action, promise, prediction
Future Continuous
will be + V-ing
She will be sleeping at midnight.
Neg: She will not be sleeping.
Q: Will she be sleeping?
Signal: at this time tomorrow
📌 Action in progress in the future
Future Perfect
will have + V3
He will have finished by 5 PM.
Neg: He will not have finished.
Q: Will he have finished?
Signal: by tomorrow, by next year
📌 Completed before a future time
Future Perfect Continuous
will have been + V-ing
By June, I will have been studying here for 3 years.
Neg: I will not have been studying.
Q: Will I have been studying?
Signal: for + duration (by future time)
📌 Duration before a future time
📖 Practice Sentences (12)
- Aarav plays (simple present) cricket every evening after school.
- Priya is reading (present continuous) a storybook right now.
- They have visited (present perfect) the Taj Mahal three times.
- She has been cooking (present perfect continuous) since morning.
- Rahul went (simple past) to Kerala last summer.
- Mummy was making (past continuous) chai when the phone rang.
- He had finished (past perfect) homework before the movie started.
- She had been waiting (past perfect continuous) for 30 minutes when the bus came.
- I will come (simple future) to your birthday party tomorrow!
- This time tomorrow, she will be flying (future continuous) to Delhi.
- By December, he will have completed (future perfect) the course.
- By 2030, India will have been independent (future perfect continuous) for 83 years.
🇮🇳 Hindi Comparison
Hindi has tenses too, but simpler — Hindi doesn’t clearly separate ‘I play’ (simple) from ‘I am playing’ (continuous). Indian kids say ‘I am knowing the answer’ ❌ (using continuous for a STATIVE verb). Hindi also uses present tense for future: ‘मैं कल आता हूँ’ (I come tomorrow) → English needs ‘I WILL come tomorrow.’
✏️ Fill in the Blank (15)
1She _____ (play) cricket every day. [habit]
Habit = Simple Present
2He _____ (read) a book right now.
Right now = Present Continuous
3They _____ (finish) their work already.
Already = Present Perfect
4Aarav _____ (go) to Delhi last week.
Last week = Simple Past
5She _____ (cook) when I called.
When I called = Past Continuous
6He _____ (eat) before she arrived.
Before she arrived = Past Perfect
7I _____ (come) tomorrow, I promise.
Tomorrow = Simple Future
8This time tomorrow, she _____ (fly) to Mumbai.
At a specific future time = Future Continuous
9She _____ (study) for 2 hours now.
For + duration until now = Present Perfect Continuous
10By 5 PM, he _____ (complete) the project.
By + future time = Future Perfect
11Priya _____ (not go) to school yesterday.
Yesterday + negative = did not + V1
12_____ you _____ (ever visit) the zoo?
Ever = Present Perfect question
13She _____ (wait) for 1 hour before the train came.
Duration before past event = Past Perfect Continuous
14I _____ (know) him since childhood.
Since = Present Perfect (NOT ‘am knowing’!)
15They _____ (not arrive) yet.
Yet = Present Perfect negative
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ I am knowing the answer.
✅ I know the answer.
💡 KNOW is a stative verb — no continuous! Same for: have, like, want, believe, understand
❌ Yesterday I am going to school.
✅ Yesterday I went to school.
💡 Yesterday = PAST. Use Simple Past: went (not am going)
❌ I am living here since 5 years.
✅ I have been living here for 5 years.
💡 Since/for + duration = Perfect/Perfect Continuous. Also: since=point, for=duration
❌ He has went home.
✅ He has gone home.
💡 After has/have, use V3: gone (not V2: went)
❌ She will comes tomorrow.
✅ She will come tomorrow.
💡 After will, use base form V1: come (not comes)
❌ I am having two brothers.
✅ I have two brothers.
💡 HAVE (possession) is stative — no continuous! ‘I am having lunch’ ✅ (eating) is OK though
❓ Quiz (12)
1. ‘She plays daily’ is:
2. ‘He is reading now’ is:
3. ‘I have eaten’ is:
4. ‘She went yesterday’ is:
5. ‘I will come’ is:
6. ‘I am knowing’ is:
7. Signal word ‘already’ →
8. Signal word ‘right now’ →
9. How many tenses total?
10. Formula: has/have + V3 =
11. ‘Since 2020’ needs:
12. 3 × 4 = 12 means:
🤓 Fun Facts
🤓 English has 12 tenses but most conversations use only 5: Simple Present, Present Continuous, Simple Past, Present Perfect, and Simple Future!
🤓 Hindi has only 3 basic tenses (past, present, future) compared to English 12!
🤓 The Present Perfect doesn’t exist in many languages — that’s why it’s so confusing!
🤓 ‘I have eaten’ vs ‘I ate’ — this distinction drives ESL learners worldwide crazy!
🤓 The Future Perfect Continuous (‘will have been studying’) is the rarest tense — you’ll barely ever use it!
People Also Ask
How many tenses are there in English?
12 tenses: 3 times (Present, Past, Future) × 4 types (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous) = 12 total.
What is the most important tense?
Simple Present and Simple Past are used most (about 80% of conversation). But all 12 are tested in CBSE exams!
Why can’t I say ‘I am knowing’?
‘Know’ is a STATIVE verb (describes a state, not an action). Stative verbs don’t use continuous: know, have, like, want, believe, understand.
👨👩👧 Parent Tips
- 1. 📊 PRINT the 12-tense chart — stick it on the study wall for daily reference!
- 2. 🎯 Signal word game: say a signal word, child names the tense: ‘yesterday’ → ‘Simple Past!’
- 3. 📝 Daily tense diary: child writes 3 sentences in different tenses about their day
- 4. ❌ Stative verb fix: ‘I am knowing’ → ‘I know’ — correct gently each time
- 5. 🏏 Cricket commentary in different tenses: ‘He plays (simple), he is playing (cont), he has played (perfect)!’
- 6. 🇮🇳 Hindi comparison: show how Hindi handles the same situation — helps understand WHY
- 7. 🔗 Connect to V1/V2/V3 page: tenses USE verb forms — V1 for present, V2 for past, V3 for perfect
❓ FAQ (6)
How many tenses are there in English?
12 tenses: 3 times (Present, Past, Future) × 4 types (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous) = 12 total.
What is the most important tense?
Simple Present and Simple Past are used most (about 80% of conversation). But all 12 are tested in CBSE exams!
Why can’t I say ‘I am knowing’?
‘Know’ is a STATIVE verb (describes a state, not an action). Stative verbs don’t use continuous: know, have, like, want, believe, understand.
How to choose the right tense?
Look for SIGNAL WORDS: always/usually→Simple Present, now→Continuous, already/just→Perfect, yesterday→Past, tomorrow→Future.
What is the difference between past simple and present perfect?
Past Simple = specific past time: ‘I ate at 7 PM.’ Present Perfect = time not specified: ‘I have eaten.’ (sometime before now)
Is this the #1 grammar topic?
YES! Tenses is the most tested and most searched grammar topic. Master this chart and you’ll ace grammar exams!