“To think clearly is to use language clearly.”
— George Orwell
Many people know English words, yet still feel uncertain when they speak.
They understand what happened, what is happening, and what will happen — but their sentences do not always show this clearly.
This happens because they have never been shown how English organises time.
That system is called tenses.
What is a tense?
A tense tells us when an action happens.
Every English sentence answers one simple question:
Is this about
• now?
• before?
• or later?
Tenses allow English to express time, order, and meaning clearly.
The three time zones
English divides time into three main parts:
| Time | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Present | what is true now or in general |
| Past | what has already happened |
| Future | what has not happened yet |
But English goes further than this.
Each time zone has four different forms.
The four forms of tenses (the key to everything)
Every English tense belongs to one of these four forms.
Once you understand them, all twelve tenses become logical.
1. Simple form
The simple form is used to talk about:
• facts
• habits
• regular actions
• completed actions
It does not show duration.
It only tells us what happens or happened.
Examples:
• I work here.
• She lives nearby.
• I finished the task.
• They left early.
2. Continuous form
The continuous form shows that an action is:
• happening now
• happening at a certain time
• in progress
It focuses on the action as it is happening.
Examples:
• I am reading.
• She is speaking.
• They were waiting.
• I will be working tomorrow.
3. Perfect form
The perfect form connects two times.
It shows that something:
• happened earlier
• and is important now or at another time
Examples:
• I have finished my work.
• She has left.
• I had eaten before he arrived.
• I will have completed the task.
4. Perfect continuous form
The perfect continuous form shows:
• how long something has been happening
• from a starting point
• until another time
It focuses on duration + time connection.
Examples:
• I have been studying for two hours.
• She has been working since morning.
• I had been waiting before she came.
• I will have been living here for five years.
The complete English tense system
| Time | Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | I work | I am working | I have worked | I have been working |
| Past | I worked | I was working | I had worked | I had been working |
| Future | I will work | I will be working | I will have worked | I will have been working |
How meaning changes with form
Look at these four sentences:
• I work here.
• I am working here.
• I have worked here.
• I have been working here.
Same verb — four different meanings.
This is why tenses are powerful.
Small practice test for yourself
Choose the correct option.
1. I ______ here since 2020.
a) work
b) have been working
2. Right now, she ______.
a) cooks
b) is cooking
3. By tomorrow, I ______ the report.
a) finish
b) will have finished
4. They ______ when the phone rang.
a) slept
b) were sleeping
5. He ______ for two hours before she arrived.
a) waited
b) had been waiting
6. I ______ my keys already.
a) lost
b) have lost
7. At this time next week, I ______.
a) travel
b) will be travelling
8. She ______ this book three times.
a) reads
b) has read
Answers
1 → b
2 → b
3 → b
4 → b
5 → b
6 → b
7 → b
8 → b
A calm truth
English tenses are not complicated.
They are simply a system for organising time and meaning.
Once you understand the four forms, every tense becomes easier.