What are verb tenses, and why do we need them?

Verb tenses in English are used to indicate the time at which an action takes place. They are used to indicate whether an action is happening in the present, past, or future and whether it is completed or ongoing.

English has several verb tenses that can be grouped into two main categories: simple tenses and progressive tenses. Simple Tenses indicate a state of being or a completed action, while Progressive Tenses indicate an ongoing or incomplete action.

English tenses examples: verb tenses chart

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	I *helped* my neighbor yesterday.	I *help* my neighbor every day.	I *will help* my neighbor tomorrow.
Perfect	I *had helped* my neighbor clean his attic before I fixed his car.	I *have helped* my neighbor too much this week.	I *will have helped* my neighbor a hundred times by the end of the month.
Continuous	I *was helping* my neighbor when he brought me iced tea.	I *am helping* my neighbor while he fixes up his house.	I *will be helping* my neighbor next month when he moves.
Perfect continuous	I *had been helping* my neighbor for a year before he finally thanked me.	I *have been helping* my neighbor since I moved in.	I *will have been helping* my neighbor for a year next month.

We can divide these categories into three main simple tenses: present, past, and future.
They can be further divided into perfect tenses and continuous tenses. The perfect tenses indicate that an action is completed before a certain point in time (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect).
The continuous tenses indicate that an action is ongoing or in progress at a certain point in time (present continuous, past continuous, future continuous).

We need verb tenses in English to indicate the time at which an action takes place. They help to convey information about when an event occurred, is occurring, or will occur. This allows us to understand the sequence of events in a story or conversation and to understand the relationship between past, present, and future actions.

Verb tenses also help to convey information about the duration of an action or the state of being.

The past continuous tense (was/were + -ing) emphasizes that an action was in progress at a specific point in the past. While the past simple tense (verb + -ed) indicates that the action was completed at a certain point in the past.

Past continuous: “I was studying for my exam when my best friend called.” The action of “studying” was in progress at a specific point in the past (when the friend called) and still ongoing.
Past simple: “I studied for my exam yesterday.” The action of “studied” was completed at a certain point in the past (yesterday) and it’s not ongoing now.

Furthermore, verb tenses also help to indicate the level of certainty or likelihood of an action or event. For instance, using the future perfect progressive to indicate that an action will have been in progress for a certain amount of time before another event takes place.

In summary, verb tenses are an essential aspect of the English language that helps to convey information about time, duration, and certainty of actions and events. They make it easier for the listener or reader to understand the context and meaning of a conversation or text.

The following is a list of the verb tenses in English with examples of the verb tense.

Simple present: The simple present is used to describe an action that happens regularly or is true in the present moment.
Example: “I eat breakfast every morning.”
Present progressive: The present progressive is used to describe an action that is currently in progress. It is formed by using the present tense of the verb “to be” (am, is, are) + the present participle (-ing) of the main verb.
Example: “I am eating breakfast now.”
Simple past: The simple past is used to describe an action that was completed in the past. Example: “I ate breakfast this morning.”
Past progressive: The past progressive is used to describe an action that was in progress in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the verb “to be” (was, were) + the present participle (-ing) of the main verb.
Example: “I was eating breakfast when you called.”
Simple future: The simple future is used to describe an action that will happen in the future. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “will” + the base form of the main verb.
Example: “I will eat breakfast tomorrow.”
Future progressive: The future progressive is used to describe an action that will be in progress in the future. It is formed by using the future tense of the verb “to be” (will be) + the present participle (-ing) of the main verb.
Example: “I will be eating breakfast at 8 am tomorrow.”
Present perfect: The present perfect is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present. It is formed by using the present tense of the verb “to have” (have, has) + the past participle (-ed) of the main verb.
Example: “I have eaten breakfast.”
Present perfect continuous: The present perfect continuous is used to describe an action that started in the past and has been continuing up to the present. It is formed by using the present perfect tense of the verb “to be” (has been) + the present participle (-ing) of the main verb. Example: “I have been eating breakfast for an hour.”
Past perfect: The past perfect is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the verb “to have” (had) + the past participle (-ed) of the main verb.
Example: “I had finished my breakfast before I left for work.”
Past perfect progressive: The past perfect progressive is used to describe an action that was in progress before another action in the past. It is formed by using the past perfect tense of the verb “to be” (had been) + the present participle (-ing) of the main verb.
Example: “I had been eating breakfast for 30 minutes when you called.”
Future perfect: The future perfect is used to describe an action that will be completed before another action in the future. It is formed by using the future tense of the verb “to have” (will have) + the past participle (-ed) of the main verb.
Example: “By the time I arrive home, I will have eaten breakfast.”
Future perfect progressive: The future perfect progressive is used to describe an action that will be in progress for a certain period of time before another action in the future. It is formed by using the future perfect tense of the verb “to be” (will have been) + the present participle (-ing) of the main verb.
Example: “I will have been eating breakfast for an hour by the time you arrive.”

Here is a table summarizing the verb tenses with simple explanations and examples:

Verb Tense	Explanation	Example
Simple Present	Describes an action that happens regularly or is true now.	I eat breakfast every morning.
Present Progressive	Describes an action that is currently happening.	I am eating breakfast now.
Simple Past	Describes an action that was completed in the past.	I ate breakfast this morning.
Past Progressive	Describes an action that was in progress in the past.	I was eating breakfast when you called.
Simple Future	Describes an action that will happen in the future.	I will eat breakfast tomorrow.
Future Progressive	Describes an action that will be in progress in the future.	I will be eating breakfast at 8 am tomorrow.
Present Perfect	Describes an action that started in the past and continues now.	I have eaten breakfast.
Present Perfect Continuous	Describes an action that started in the past and is still happening.	I have been eating breakfast for an hour.
Past Perfect	Describes an action completed before another action in the past.	I had finished my breakfast before I left for work.
Past Perfect Progressive	Describes an action that was in progress before another past action.	I had been eating breakfast for 30 minutes when you called.
Future Perfect	Describes an action that will be completed before another future action.	By the time I arrive home, I will have eaten breakfast.
Future Perfect Progressive	Describes an action that will be in progress for a period of time before another future action.	I will have been eating breakfast for an hour by the time you arrive.