LED screens and with all sorts of commercials for product brands, tv shows, films, and more in Times Square New York City

Study Resource: Tense and aspect in English

By: revel arroway

The following resources will help you form English verbs by combining tense (past, present, future) and aspect (simple, continuous, perfect).

Forming verbs in different aspects

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

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 conjugate auxiliary verbs

Subject
Past
Present
Future

I / you / we / they

did

does

–*

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

How does aspect impact meaning?

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.

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.

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.

To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!

Ready to take the next step?

The Mango Languages learning platform is designed to get you speaking like a local quickly and easily.

Mango app open on multiple devices

Learning Activities

Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with our interactive activities.