Tenses Rules in English: Charts & Tenses PDF With Examples

To read, write and speak the English language correctly, we need to understand and learn the tenses rules of English. Tenses help us express when an action occurs, whether in the past, present, or future. It also helps students improve their English writing skills. Whether you are preparing for school exams, competitive examinations or English proficiency tests like IELTS, good knowledge of tenses rules is going to help you score better.

In this blog, you will read all about tenses rules, 12 main types of tenses, rule chart, some relevant examples and a PDF to download. Without any further delay let’s begin with grammar tense rules.

What are Tenses in English?

A tense is a form of the verb and with the help of Tense in English language, we can tell the time of occurrence of any action whether it is happening in the past, present or future. Understanding tenses and using them correctly is important for effective communication.

There are 3 major types of tenses in English language:

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

12 Types of Tenses with Examples and Formula

The 3 main types of tenses in English language are divided into 4 subparts which are categorised into simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses. The selection of these parts of tens in the English language depends on the context and the time of action. All 12 main types of tenses are tabulated below for your learning:

Past Tense	Present Tense	Future Tense
Simple Past Tense	Simple Present Tense	Simple Future Tense
Past Continuous Tense	Present Continuous Tense	Future Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Continuous Tense	Present Perfect Continuous Tense	Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Unreal (Third Conditional)	Present Unreal (Second Conditional)	Future Unreal (Mixed Conditional)

Tenses Rules Chart

To memorise and understand all 12 main types of grammar tense rules, below we have kept them in a tabulated representation. Please note that in the table below we have used some abbreviations to avoid being lengthy content. The abbreviations we used are” V1 = first form of the verb | V2 = second form of the verb| V3 = third form of the verb”. Now let us understand all the tense rules one by one:

Tenses	Tenses Rule
Past Simple Tense	Subject + V2 + Object
Past Perfect Tense	Subject + had + V3 + Object
Past Continuous Tense	Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular) Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)
Past Perfect Continuous Tense	Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object
Present Simple Tense Rule or Present Indefinite Tense rule	Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular) Subject + V1 + Object (Plural)
Present Perfect Tense	Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular) Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural)
Present Continuous Tense	Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object
Present Perfect Continuous Tense	Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)
Future Simple Tense	Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object
Future Perfect Tense	Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object
Future Continuous Tense	Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object
Future Perfect Continuous Tense	Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object

Tenses Rules Chart PDF for Download

To aid your understanding and application of tense rules, we have created a comprehensive tense rules chart. This downloadable PDF provides a clear and organized overview of all 12 tense rules along with their structure and examples, making it an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to enhance their grammar skills. You can download the tenses rule chart PDF from the link mentioned below:

Tense Rules Chart in Hindi

For those students who are in Hindi medium and want to understand the grammar tense rules in Hindi. To help them we have compiled a tense rule chart in Hindi below. This table will definitely help them to learn the English language easily and quickly. Please have a look.

Tenses (काल) – पहचान
	Present	Past	Future
Indefinite	ता है, ती है, ते, हैDo/ does	आ, ई, ये, या, था, ता, ती, थे, Did+ V1	गा, गी, गे,Will
Continuous	रहा है, रही है, रहे है, Is/are/am + ing	रहा था, रही थी, रहे थे, Was/Were + ing	रहा होगा, रही होगी, Will be+ ing
Perfect	चुका है, चुकी है, Has/Have + V3	चुका था, चुकी थी, लिया था Had+ V3	चुकेगा, चुकेगी, चुकोगे, Will have+ V3
Perfect Continuous	रहा है, रही है, रहे है + समय के साथ ‘से’ के लिए Has/Have+ Been+ ing + Since/ For	रहा था, रही थी, रहे थे+ समय के साथ ‘से’ के लिए Had been+ ing+Since/For	रहा होगा, रही होगी, रहे होंगे+ समय के साथ ‘से’ के लिए Will have been+ ing + Since/For

Hope by now you have understood all the tense rules of English. For your better understanding, we have given all the tense rules with amazing examples so that a learner can understand the application of all these tense rules. Let’s understand them one by one:

Present Tense Rules and Examples

The present tense rule is used to describe the current or present being, situation, or event. It is a form of the verb that defines the events that are currently happening. Examples

• I am going to the office
• She has been part of this group for 4 years now.
• The concert is going amazing.

Present Simple Rules

The present indefinite tense rule or present simple tense rules represent the habitual action or a general truth of anything i.e., the Sun rises in the East. Now you can create some sentences by using the simple present tense rules which are given below:

Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular)
Subject + V1 + Object (Plural)

Examples of Simple Present Tense Rules:
1. The Sun rises in the East.
2. Rita goes to school.

Present Continuous Rules

Present continuous tense shows the action which is happening in the present and will continue for some finite time i.e. the team is playing very well. Now you can make some sentences using the present continuous rule that is given below:

Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + Object

Examples of Present Continuous Tense Rules:
1. I am eating pudding.
2. Sia is writing a letter to the editor.

Present Perfect Tense Rules

The present perfect tense rule shows the action that happened in the past and continues into the present i.e. I have completed the assignment. Now you can make some sentences using the present perfect tense rules that is given below:

Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular)
Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural)

Examples of Present Perfect Tense Rules:
1. He has just eaten food.
2. I have just read the book.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Rules

Present perfect continuous tense shows the action that started in the past and has continued until the current instant i.e., To improve his English language, he has been doing his homework daily. Now you can make some sentences using the present perfect continuous tense rule that is given below:

Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)
Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)

Examples of Present Perfect Continuous Tense Rules:
1. I have been cleaning regularly since Monday.
2. She has been using the night cream for several months.

Also Read: Active and Passive Voice: Rules, Examples & Exercise

Past Tense Rules and Examples

Past tense is used to describe a past activity or action. It is a form of the verb that defines the events that have already occurred. Examples

• Reema attended the wedding functions.
• He left before I reached.
• Priya wrote a letter to her friends from camp.

Simple Past Tense Rules

The simple past tense represents the actions that occurred and were completed in the past i.e., I was on leave yesterday. Now you can create some sentences by using the simple past tense rules which are given below:

Subject + V2 + Object

Examples of Simple Past Tense Rules:
1. Rita went to school.
2. Minty ate food.

Past Continuous Tense Rules

The past continuous tense represents the action or actions that were occurring in the past i.e., He was dancing when I was there. Now you can create some sentences by using the past continuous tense rules which are given below:

Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular) Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)

Examples of Past Continuous Tense Rules:
1. I was eating pudding.
2. Sia was writing a letter to the editor.

Past Perfect Tense Rules

The past perfect tense represents the action that occurred before another past action or event i.e., He had completed the assignment before the deadline. Now you can create some sentences by using the past perfect tense rules which are given below:

Subject + had + V3 + Object

Examples of Past Perfect Tense Rules:
1. He had taken the token when she called.
2. I had brushed my teeth by 8 am.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Rules

Past Perfect Continuous Tense represents an action that started, continued and ended after some time in the past. i.e., I had been cooking my favourite dish when my sister walked into the kitchen. Now you can create some sentences by using the past perfect continuous tense rules which are given below:

Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object

Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense Rules:
1. He had been standing in the rain the whole night.
2. I had been eating diet food for the whole summer.

Future Tense Rules and Examples

The future tense is used to describe future events that haven’t occurred but possibly will occur in the future. It is a form of the verb that will occur in the future & not exist currently. Examples

• She will be dancing to classical music.
• We will be shifting to the house upstate tomorrow morning.
• The train will leave in 10 minutes.

Simple Future Tense Rules

The simple future tense represents the actions that will occur in the future i.e., I will go to the movie tomorrow. Now you can create some sentences by using the simple future tense rules which are given below:

Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object

Examples of Simple Future Tense Rules:
1. I shall go to school tomorrow.
2. My mother will feed me.

Future Continuous Tense Rules

The future continuous tense represents the actions that will occur in the future and will be ongoing at a specific point in time i.e., I will be going to a movie at 7 PM tomorrow. Now you can create some sentences by using the future continuous tense rules which are given below:

Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object

Examples:
1. He shall be writing his exam.
2. We will be going to the zoo.

Future Perfect Tense Rules

The future perfect tense represents the actions that will be completed before a specific point in time in future i.e., By this time tomorrow, he shall have finished their class. Now you can create some sentences by using the future perfect tense rules which are given below:

Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object

Examples of Future Perfect Tense Rules:
I shall have started writing by that time.
We will have reached Goa by then.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Rules

The future perfect continuous tense represents the actions that will continue up until a specific point in time in future i.e., He will have been waiting there for five hours by seven o’clock.. Now you can create some sentences by using the future perfect continuous tense rules which are given below:

Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object

Examples on Future Perfect Continuous Tense:
By next year we will be graduating.
They shall be serving food in the slum area tomorrow.

Tenses Rules and Application

Sometimes understanding grammar tense rules can be confusing, to sort it out and make it easier we have represented a tabulated version of tense rules, along with their applications and examples:

Tenses		Application		Example
Past simple tense		Past Events		She cooked dinner for everyone last month
Past Perfect tense		Prior events happened before past events		She cooked dinner for everyone last night before shifting to Mumbai
Past Continuous tense		Past Events related to the occurrence of other events		She was cooking dinner for everyone when she ran out of gas.
Past perfect continuous tense		Past events relating to a past moment		She was cooking for dinner & needed some rest.
Present Simple tense rule		Facts & truths		She hosts dinner for everyone a lot.
Present Perfect tense		Events of past & continuing or expected to continue in present.		She has hosted a lot of times & left with one more dinner
Present Continuous tense		Current Actions		She is cooking dinner for everyone
Present perfect continuous tense		Past events, continued & finished in the current moment		She cooked dinner for everyone & now needs some rest.
Future Simple tense		Events completed in future		She will cook dinner for everyone next month.
Future Perfect tense		Current events completed in the given time frame in future		She will be cooking dinner for everyone by 8:00 PM next Saturday
Future Continuous tense		Future events & are expected to continue		She will be hosting a lot of dinner parties next year.
Future Perfect Continuous tense		Tasks continue in the future & highlighting the duration		The dinner she will be cooking will take 3 hours to finish.

Learn how to clear the IELTS reading section:

Examples of Each Type of Tense

Tense	Example 1	Example 2	I will be travelling next week.
Simple Present	She teaches English.	He goes to the gym regularly.	They live in New York.
Present Continuous	They are playing soccer right now.	She is studying for her exam.	I am writing an email.
Present Perfect	I have visited London many times.	She has finished her book.	They have already eaten dinner.
Present Perfect Continuous	I have been working all day.	She has been practicing the piano.	They have been talking for hours.
Simple Past	I will be travelling next week.	She graduated from college in 2010.	They watched a movie last night.
Past Continuous	We were hiking in the mountains.	They were talking on the phone.	She was cooking dinner when I arrived.
Past Perfect	She had already left when I got there.	They had finished the project by noon.	I had never seen such a beautiful sunset.
Past Perfect Continuous	By then, they had been waiting for hours.	She had been studying all night.	They had been living in that house for a decade.
Simple Future	They will call you tomorrow.	She will come to the party.	I will buy a new car next year.
Future Continuous	I will be traveling next week.	She will be studying all evening.	They will be celebrating the anniversary.
Future Perfect	By then, I will have finished my work.	She will have completed the course.	They will have arrived at the destination.
Future Perfect Continuous	She will have been working for 5 hours by 5 o’clock.	They will have been waiting for a while.	I will have been writing for two hours.
Present Conditional (Type 1)	If it rains, we will stay at home.	She will come if she has time.	If you work hard, you will succeed.
Past Conditional (Type 2)	If I had known, I would have come.	She would have helped if she were here.	If they had seen it, they would have been shocked.
Past Perfect Conditional (Type 3)	If they had studied, they would have passed the test.	She would have gone to the party if she had known.	If he had seen the sign, he would have turned left.

Practice with Tenses Rules Quiz Questions!

Now you have learned all about the types & tenses rules. Here are some practice questions to test your knowledge.

1. Riya _____ (wants/ wanting)to be a pilot.
2. The dinner ______ (smells/smelling) great.
3. She _______ (has been crying/cried) since last night.
4. I _______ (will be lying, will lie) on the beach with my friends.
5. Give me a call when you ______ (have, had) time.
6. I _______ (spent/spend) all my teenage years at math camp.
7. When we were in the hostel we _____ (made/make) our breakfast.
8. Sandhya is ________ (running/ran) for student election this semester.
9. He _____ (plays/playing) tennis most of his evening.
10. When you called, I was______ (taking/took) a shower.

Answers

1. Wants
2. Smells
3. Has been crying
4. Will be lying
5. Have
6. Spent
7. Made
8. Running
9. Plays
10. taking

Learn how you can prepare for the IELTS exa in 5 days

How to Identify Tenses?

To identify the tenses, follow the five steps below:

Find Out the Verb and the Auxiliary Verb

Identify the verb and any auxiliary (helping) verbs in the sentence. For example, in the sentence, ‘he is reading a book,’ (reading is the verb, and auxiliary verb-is)

Identify Time-Related Words

Look for time-related words or phrases like tomorrow, yesterday, last year, etc. For example, I went to the park yesterday. (Yesterday is past)

Identify Verb Forms and Auxiliary Verbs

Next, identify the verb form and auxiliary verbs. Some of the examples are given below.

Tense	Form	Example
Present Simple	base verb / verb+s	She walks to school.
Past Simple	verb+ed or irregular	He went home.
Future Simple	will + base verb	They will eat soon.
Present Continuous	am/is/are + verb+ing	I am going.
Past Continuous	was/were + verb+ing	He was driving.
Future Continuous	will be + verb+ing	She will be studying.
Present Perfect	has/have + past participle	We have eaten.
Past Perfect	had + past participle	They had left.
Future Perfect	will have + past participle	I will have finished.

Understand the Time of Action 

Next, try to determine the time of action

Time of Action	Tense Category	Example Sentence
Happening now	Present	She is eating lunch
Already happened	Past	They went to the market
Going to happen	Future	We will travel tomorrow

Consider the Aspect

Lastly, ask how action can relate to time. 

Aspect	Meaning	Example Sentence
Simple	A fact or general truth	Water boils at 100 degrees
Continuous	Ongoing action	She is watching TV
Perfect	Completed action related to another time	They have finished their homework
Perfect Continuous	Ongoing action that started earlier and may continue	He has been working since morning

FAQs on Tenses Rules

We hope this article gave you a clear idea about tenses, their types, and tenses rules. Keep practicing these rules to strengthen your grammar skills and build your language fluency. For more helpful tips, expert guidance, and resources on English language learning or study abroad opportunities, stay connected with Leverage Edu.