Basic Tenses

For past and present, there are 2 non-complex tenses + 6 complex

tenses (using auxiliary or helping verbs).
To these, we can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using the modal
auxiliary verbs will/shall).
This makes a total of 12 tenses in the active voice.
Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice (though 4 are
rarely used).
So now we have 24 tenses, as you see in the table below:

24 tenses

past

present

future

active

past simple

present simple

future simple

past perfect

present perfect

future perfect

past continuous

present continuous

future continuous

past perfect
continuous

present perfect
continuous

future perfect
continuous

past simple

present simple

future simple

past perfect

present perfect

future perfect

past continuous

present continuous

future continuous

past perfect
continuous

present perfect
continuous

future perfect
continuous

non-complex
tenses
complex tenses

passive

The basic structure of a positive or affirmative sentence is:

subject + auxiliary + main verb
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The following table shows the 12 active tenses for the regular
verb work in the affirmative or positive:

structure
12 active tenses
(work)

auxiliary main verb

past

present

future

I worked

I work

I will work

base

I did work

I do work

I was
working

I am working I will be
working

simple normal

intensive do

continuous

be

present
participle-ing

perfect

have

past participle I had worked I have worked I will have

worked

continuous perfect have been present

participle-ing

I had been
working

I have been
working

I will have been

working

An auxiliary verb is actually used in all tenses. In the present simple

and past simple tenses, the auxiliary verb is usually suppressed for the
affirmative, but it does exist for intensification. It is also of course
always used in forming questions and negatives.
Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a
modal auxiliary verb and future tenses are sometimes called "modal
tenses". The examples are included here for convenience and
comparison.

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Basic Tenses: Regular Verbs

This page shows the basic tenses with the regular verb work,
including the following structures:

affirmative or positive (+)

negative (-)

interrogative or question (?)

The basic structures are:

Here are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the
tenses:

base past

past participle

present participle -ing

work worked

worked

working

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And here is the result:

SIMPLE
do + base
except future:
will + base

CONTINUOUS
be + ing

PERFECT
have + past
participle

CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + ing

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Basic Tenses: Irregular Verbs

This page shows the basic tenses with the irregular verb sing,
including the following structures:

affirmative or positive (+)

negative (-)

interrogative or question (?)

The basic structures are:

+ positive

subject + auxiliary + main verb

- negative

subject + auxiliary + not + main verb

? question

auxiliary + subject + main verb

Here are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the
tenses:

base past

past participle

present participle -ing

sing

sung

singing

sang

The basic structure of tenses for regular verbs and irregular verbs is
exactly the same (except the verb be). The only difference is that with
regular verbs the past and past participle are always the same
(worked, worked), while with irregular verbs the past and past

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participle are not always the same (sang, sung). But the structure is
the same! It will help you a great deal to really understand that.

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Basic Tenses: Be
This page shows the basic tenses with the irregular verb be, including
the following structures:

affirmative or positive (+)

negative (-)

interrogative or question (?)

The basic structures are:

+ positive

subject + auxiliary + main verb be

- negative

subject + auxiliary + not + main verb be

? question

auxiliary + subject + main verb be

But for simple past and simple present tenses, the structures are
not the same. In fact, they are even easier. There is noauxiliary verb.
Here are the structures:

+ positive

subject + main verb be

- negative

subject + main verb be + not

? question

main verb be + subject

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Here are the forms of the main verb be that we use to construct the
tenses:

past
base simple

past
participle

present participle - present

ing
simple

be

been

being

was, were

And here is the result:

SIMPLE
present simple or past
simple
except future
will + be

CONTINUOUS
be + being

PERFECT
have + been

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am, are, is

CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + being

In the following table, we see be conjugated in all persons in the

affirmative for 12 basic tenses:

singular

plural

singular

plural

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singular

plural

singular

plural

And here is the result:

SIMPLE
do + base
except future:
will + base

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CONTINUOUS
be + ing

PERFECT
have + past participle

CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + ing

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