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    Learn English tenses

    What are tenses in English grammar? Tenses are verb forms that represent the time when something happens. The English language has twelve verb tenses - yikes! However, you won’t need to use most of these very often. In fact, 95% of your interactions will be in the four most common ones: the simple past tense, the simple present tense, the simple future tense, and the present perfect tense.

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    About this course

    These lessons are part of the Preply Grammar Reference, crafted by a team of language experts. This comprehensive guide covers essential English grammar topics, offering clear explanations, illustrative examples, and insights into common mistakes. Benefit from the collective expertise of Preply's dedicated professionals, ensuring a valuable resource for learners at every level. Learn more about Preply.

    English Tenses: The Ultimate Guide

    Here are how-to guides for every type of word you'll find when you learn English tenses. Check out the dedicated categories:

    Present tenses describe actions that connect to the present moment.

    Past tenses describe actions that connect to the past.

    Future tenses describe actions that connect to the future.

    Free resources about English Tenses

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    Frequently asked questions

    There are twelve tenses in English grammar, four to describe events in the present, four to describe events in the past, and four to describe events in the future. They are: The present tenses: The Present Simple (I go) The Present Continuous (I am going) The Present Perfect (I have gone) The Present Perfect Continuous (I have been going) The past tenses: The Past Simple (I went) The Past Continuous (I was going) The Past Perfect (I had gone) The Past Perfect Continuous (I had been going) The Future tenses: The Future Simple (I will go) The Future Continuous (I will be going) The Future Perfect (I will have gone) The Future Perfect Continuous (I will have been going) However, you don’t need to master all of these right away. The Future Perfect Continuous is very rare indeed! The four most common tenses are the Past Simple tense, the Present Simple tense, the Future Simple tense, and the Perfect Present tense.