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What do “simple,” “continuous,” and “perfect” mean in English verb tenses?

By: revel arroway, Isabel McKay Thu Sep 19 2024
English
Verbs, Grammar Tips

In English verb tenses, the words “simple,” “continuous,” and “perfect” describe the aspect of a verb. Every English verb has a tense and an aspect:

  • The tense tells you if it happened before now (past), during now (present), or after now (future).

  • The aspect tells you other information, like how it happened, how long it happened for, or when it happened compared to something else.

The aspect determines which auxiliary verb (be, do, have ) you use while the tense determines which form (past, present, future) you use. For example:

was running

continuous aspect → auxiliary verb = be

past tense → was

In this post, we’ll look at how to form verbs by combining tense and aspect and how verb aspects help us describe events. Now, let’s get into the words “simple,” “continuous,” and “perfect”!

Important

This is a more advanced and high-level look at tense in English. For more basic information, start with our post on the English verb tenses.

Table of Contents

    How to identify the aspect of an English verb?

    To identify the aspect of an English verb, all you need to do is look at the auxiliary verb:

    Aspect
    Auxiliary Verb

    Simple

    do / none*

    Continuous

    be

    Perfect

    have

    *We use do in questions, negative sentences, and corrections when there is no other auxiliary like will. Otherwise we use the root form.

    Remember that most English verbs are expressed in two parts: an auxiliary verb (or “helping verb”) and a main verb (which describes the action or situation). For example:

    • Jim has forgotten his keys.

    • Did you clean your room?

    • She is reading a book.

    Important

    Some notes on the pattern above:

    • If there is a modal auxiliary verb like will, can, should, might, may, etc. the next word is the auxiliary that will tell you the aspect:

      modal auxiliaryauxiliary verb

      I might have forgotten.

      It will be working soon.

    • A verb can use both have and be. This is called the perfect continuous aspect in English.

      auxiliary verb

      She has been cleaning.

    How to choose the form of the main verb?

    The form of the main verb depends on which auxiliary verb you use directly before it. For example:

    Auxiliary Verb
    Main verb form
    Examples

    do

    root

    walk, ring

    be

    walking, ringing

    have

    walked, rung

    modal auxiliaries

    e.g. will, can, should

    root

    walk, ring

    *Remember that be is also used to form passive verbs in English! If you are forming a passive, the past participle will follow be instead and you’ll look at the auxiliary verb to the left of be to decide on the aspect.

    If there is no auxiliary verb then the form of the verb depends on the tense and the subject. Here are the options:

    Tense
    Main verb form
    Example

    Past

    simple past form

    (root + -ed)

    walked, rang

    Present (with he, she, it)

    Present (with other subjects)

    simple present form

    (root + -s)

    root

    walks, rings

    walk, ring

    We can use these same rules to choose the form of the auxiliary verb when more than one auxiliary verb is present!

    • She will have brought the drinks.

      • will (modal) → have (root)

      • havebrought (past participle)

    • Marcus should be bringing the drinks.

      • should (modal) → be (root)

      • bebringing (present participle)

    • Maria might have been doing her homework.

      • might (modal) → have (root)

      • havebeen (past participle)

      • beendoing (present participle)

    Because the aspect tells you the auxiliary verb and the auxiliary verb tells you the main verb form, the aspect can also generally tell you the form of the main verb:

    Auxiliary verbs and main verb forms for different aspects
    Aspect
    Auxiliary verb
    Main verb form

    Simple

    do /

    Root

    (root)

    Present form

    (root + -s)

    Simple past

    (usually: root + -ed)

    Continuous

    be

    Present participle

    (root + -ing)

    Perfect

    have

    Past participle

    (root + -ed / irregular)

    How to identify the tense of an English verb?

    The tense of a verb (past, present, future) determines the form of the first auxiliary verb. The chart below shows the form of the three main auxiliary verbs, do, be, and have, in the past, present, and future tenses.

    Subject
    Past
    Present
    Future

    I / you / we / they

    did

    does

    (none)*

    he / she / it

    do

    *The auxiliary do is not used in the simple future.
    Subject
    Past
    Present
    Future

    I

    was

    am

    will be

    he / she / it

    is

    you / we / they

    were

    are

    Subject
    Past
    Present
    Future

    I / you / we / they

    had

    have

    will have

    he / she / it

    has

    Some notes:

    • If there is no auxiliary, look at the form of the main verb to identify the tense:

      • root / root + -s → present tense

      • root + -ed / irregular → past tense

    • Remember that the present simple and the present continuous can also be used to talk about the future in English

    • Check out our article on modal verbs in English to learn more about how tense is expressed when modal verbs like can, should, or might are used. It’s a bit more complicated!

    So, let’s look at how tense and aspect are expressed together in a verb:

    • I am running.

      • the auxiliary verb is a form of be → continuous aspect

      • am is in the present tense → present tense

    • She has run.

      • the auxiliary verb is a form of have → perfect aspect

      • has, is in the present tense → present tense

    • We ran.

      • there is no auxiliary verb → simple aspect

      • ran is in the past tense → past tense

    • Did you run?

      • the first auxiliary verb is a form of do → simple aspect

      • did is in the past tense → past tense

    How does the aspect affect the meaning of a verb?

    In English, the aspect affects the meaning of a verb by adding time detail to the basic English verb tenses.

    • The tense gives us three categories

      • past (before now)

      • present (during now)

      • future (after now)

    • The aspect of a verb allows you to answer question like:

      • For how long did it happen?

      • When did it happen compared to something else?

      • Did it finish?

      • Is it a habit?

      • Did it repeat?

      • …and more!

    In each tense, the aspect gives you more information about when and how something happened. The chart below can give you a quick idea of how this works in all three tenses (past, present, future). The links in the chart will bring you to more complete explanations of how to use each form.

    Verb aspect
    Past
    Present
    Future

    Simple

    a finished action

    a habit, custom, truth, or thought

    a set plan or truth in the future

    We went to school yesterday.

    We go to school every day.

    The sun will rise tomorrow at 7:00.

    → Learn more about the past simple
    → Learn more about the present simple
    → Learn more about the future “simple"

    Continuous

    a past ongoing action happening when something else occurred

    something happening during the moment of speech

    a future action that continues for some time

    We were walking to school when it started to rain.

    He is studying a new language now.

    She will be teaching in Paris next semester.

    → Learn more about the past continuous
    Learn more about the present continuous
    → Learn more about the future continuous

    Perfect

    past events that happened before and were important for a past moment

    past events that are important for understanding the present moment

    events that will be important for a later future moment

    I had read the book many times before I saw the movie.

    I have read that book already.

    I will have read that book twice by the time I see the movie.

    → Learn more about the past perfect
    → Learn more about the present perfect
    → Learn more about the future perfect

    As you can see, each aspect is a little different in each tense, but do you notice any patterns across the tenses? Here are some general observations about the sorts of time details each aspect gives you in all English tenses:

    • The simple aspect is usually used for situations that are settled (true, decided, or finished).

      • I always have coffee at breakfast.

        This is true.
      • I saw a good movie yesterday.

        This is finished.
    • The continuous aspect is always used when actions or situations continue for a period of time. Generally the period of time will overlap with another important moment in the same tense.

      • Jimmy is playing in the yard.

        this action continues during the present moment
      • Lawrence was hugging the cat all night (last night).

        this action continued during a past moment
    • The perfect aspect is usually used to talk about an action or situation that sets things up for a later situation. The tense of a verb in the perfect aspect depends on when the later situation is/was.

      • Mark has taught English for three years.

        he began teaching in the past and is important for the present moment because he still teaches
      • I had met John before the party started.

        I met John before the party started, and so that was important for how I acted or felt when I saw him at the party

    Summing up

    In this article, we have learned some of the key traits of verb aspects in English:

    • A verb’s aspect is important for forming English verbs and for understanding exactly when, for how long, and how an event took place.

    • When you build an English verb:

      • Each aspect is associated with an auxiliary verb and a main verb form.

      • The tense tells you which form of the auxiliary verb to use.

    • There are three main verb aspects in English:

      • Simple aspect

        • Auxiliary do

        • Usually for situations that are settled, finished, true, or planned

      • Continuous aspect

        • Auxiliary be

        • Mostly for actions or events that happen over a period of time

      • Perfect aspect

        • Auxiliary have

        • Mostly for things that happen before another time in the same tense and that are important at that second time

    As you begin to understand and use verb aspects with verb tenses, your English will become more detailed. When you combine these correctly, you will be able to tell your listener both when and how long an action took place.

    Want to put your new understanding of verb aspects to work? Check out the verb activities we’ve prepared for you! Or, review what you’ve learned with the printable versions of our verb aspect charts.

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