Grammar Tenses: A Simplified Overview of All Tenses in English

Grammar tenses in English are divided into three main categories; past, present, and future. In this article, we walk you through each grammar tense, starting with past grammar tenses, moving to present tenses, and finally finishing our article with future tenses. In each grammar tense, we discuss certain items, which are the following:

• When to use this grammar tense.
• How to form this tense (including affirmative, negative, and question forms).
• Some example sentences on that tense in each form (affirmative, negative, and question).
• A short quiz on it with the correct answers.

Here’s a list of all the grammar tenses discussed in this article:

• The past grammar tenses:
  • The past simple.
  • The past continuous.
  • The present perfect.
  • The present perfect progressive.
  • The past perfect.
  • The past perfect progressive.
• The present grammar tenses:
  • The present simple.
  • The present continuous.
• The future grammar tenses:
  • The future simple.
  • The future with “going to”.
  • The future progressive.
  • The future perfect.
  • Present simple for future.
  • Present continuous for future.
  • Be about to + infinitive.

A note before we start:

Please note that this article is aimed at advanced learners mainly to compare and contrast all the grammar tenses they have already learned. So if you are a beginner, you’d better study each tense alone and master it first. Then, when you’re done, come back and enjoy this quick overview.

1. Past Grammar Tenses

To talk about any event that happened in the past in English, we can use different grammar tenses depending on several factors. For example, did that event happen at a specific time in the past or not? Did it happen amid other continuing events or not?

In the following sections, we talk about all grammar tenses that could be used to talk about an event that happened in the past.

A. Past Grammar Tenses – The Past Simple

When to use this grammar tense:

We use the simple past in the following conditions:

• To talk about an event that happened and was finished at a specific time in the past.
• With words that denote a finished period of time like yesterday, then, last week, a week ago, five years ago, in 1980, and last year.
• It’s also used to tell stories.

The affirmative:

For regular verbs:	– add -ed to the end of the verb. – but if the verb already ends with -e, we add only -d to the end. – And if the verb ends with “y”, we replace it with “i” before adding -ed. – Verbs ending in consonant + vowel + consonant (CVC), double the last letter (consonant) before adding -ed.
For irregular verbs:	You have to memorize the past form of these verbs.

The past form of some irregular verbs:

• Eat – ate.
• Drink – drank.
• Hide – hid.
• Do – did.
• See – saw.
• Wear – wore.
• Come – came.
• Go – went.
• Cut – cut.
• Find – found.
• Take – took.
• Teach – taught.
• Catch – caught.
• Buy – bought.

Example sentences:

• I visited France last year.
• She cried a lot last night.
• He shared his sandwich with his friend.
• They joined the army.
• We ordered a pizza yesterday.
• You did well in the last exam.
• She found her cat on the roof.

The negative:

We use did not (didn’t) before the base verb to form the negative in the simple past tense as follows:

The subject + did not (didn’t) + the base form of the verb.

Example sentences:

• I didn’t visit France last year.
• He didn’t share his sandwich with his friend.
• She didn’t find her cat on the roof.
• They didn’t join the army.
• You didn’t do well in the last exam.

The question:

We use “did” in the question form as follows:

Yes or no questions:	Did + subject + base verb + ……?
With question words:	What Where When + did + subject + base verb + ……? How Why

Example sentences:

• Did you visit France last year?
• Why did she cry last night?
• What did you order yesterday?
• Where did she find her cat?
• How did you do in the last exam?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the past simple tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). He (to cut) his finger with a sharp knife.

1. Cut.
2. Cutted.
3. Cutting.
4. Caught.

Q (2). They (to come) to the party last night.

1. Do not come.
2. Did not come.
3. Did not came.
4. Come.

Q (3). Where ____ you eat yesterday?

1. Do.
2. Does.
3. Are.
4. Did.

Q (4). ____ she ____ her grandma last year?

1. Did, visited.
2. Did, visit.
3. Did, visits.
4. Does, visit.

Q (5). We (to buy) presents for our mom last week.

1. Bought.
2. Didn’t bought.
3. Buyed.
4. Don’t buy.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 1

Q (2) – 2

Q (3) – 4

Q (4) – 2

Q (5) – 1

B. Past Grammar Tenses – The Past Continuous

When to use this grammar tense:

The past progressive is used in the following conditions:

• To talk about an activity that started and continued for some time in the past.
• It’s sometimes used with a simple past tense. In this situation, we have two verbs in two different tenses; the one in the past continuous is used to denote a background activity (one that was happening and continuing in the background), while another action interrupted it (this is the one in the past simple tense).

The affirmative:

We use the past form of the verb “to be” followed by the verb+ing as follows:

I, he, she, it was We, you, they were

+ verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• I was joking.
• She was listening to music when the doorbell rang.
• He was looking at you.
• They were crying at school today.
• We were driving on the wrong road.
• The cat was choking.

The negative:

We use “not” after “was/ were” to form the negative.

I, he, she, it was not (wasn’t) We, you, they were not (weren’t)

+ verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• I wasn’t joking.
• She wasn’t listening to music when the doorbell rang.
• He wasn’t looking at you.
• They weren’t crying at school today.
• We weren’t driving on the wrong road.
• The cat wasn’t choking.

The question:

We use the past form of the verb “to be” before the subject in the question as follows:

Yes or no questions:	Was + I/ he/ she/ it + verb + ing? Were + we/ you/ they verb + ing?
With question words:	What Where When + was/ were + subject + verb + ing? How Why

Example sentences:

• Were you joking?
• What was she doing when the doorbell rang?
• Was he looking at you?
• Why were they crying at school today?
• What were they doing at 5 o’clock yesterday?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the past continuous tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). I ___ thinking of you.

1. Were.
2. Was.
3. Has.
4. Have.

Q (2). We ___ joking.

1. Were.
2. Was.
3. Has.
4. Have.

Q (3). Where ___ they when their dad came home?

1. Were.
2. Was.
3. Has.
4. Have.

Q (4). He ___ smiling at her.

1. Were not.
2. Was not.
3. Has not.
4. Have not.

Q (5). They ___ laughing.

1. Were.
2. Was.
3. Has.
4. Have.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 2

Q (2) – 1

Q (3) – 1

Q (4) – 2

Q (5) – 1

C. Past Grammar Tenses – The Present Perfect

When to use this grammar tense:

The present perfect tense is one of the most complicated tenses in English and is used in many situations. It’s used in the following conditions:

• To talk about an action that started in the past and is still true in the present time.
• To talk about an action that started and finished in the past, but its effect is still seen in the present time.
• With certain words like ever, never, before, yet, lately, recently, since, for, and already.
• To talk about an action that has just finished recently.
• To talk about past experiences.

The affirmative:

We use “have/ has” as the auxiliary verbs followed by the past participle (PP) as follows:

I, we, you, they, or any plural noun + have + PP

He, she, it, or any singular noun + has + PP

The past participle is formed by adding -ed to the end of regular verbs, while irregular ones must be memorized. Here’s a list of some irregular verbs in the past participle form:

• Do – done.
• See – seen.
• Eat – eaten.
• Make – made.
• Take – taken.
• Write – written.
• Hear – heard.
• Meet – met.
• Go – gone.
• Be – been.
• Know – known.

Example sentences:

• I have worked for this company since 2020.
• She has played the piano since the age of four.
• We have seen this movie before.
• He has lived in this city for five years.

The negative:

We just add “not” to the auxiliary verb (have/ has).

I, we, you, they + have not (haven’t) + PP

He, she, it + has not (hasn’t) + PP

Example sentences:

• I haven’t seen this movie before.
• She hasn’t travelled to another country.
• We haven’t met for a long time.
• He hasn’t been to this country before.

The question:

Use the auxiliary verb (have/ has) before the subject in the question as follows:

Yes or no questions:	have/ has + subject + PP?
With question words:	question word + have/ has + subject + PP?

Example sentences:

• Have you seen this movie before?
• How long has he lived in this city?
• Where have you been?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the present perfect tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). We ___ each other for almost five years now.

1. Has known.
2. Has know.
3. Have known.
4. Have know.

Q (2). I ___ never ___ a lion in my whole life.

1. Has, seen.
2. Has, see.
3. Have, seen.
4. Have, see.

Q (3). She ___ her grandpa last week.

1. Have visited.
2. Has visited.
3. Has visit.
4. Visited.

Q (4). He ___ never ___ to Russia.

1. Has, travelled.
2. Has, travel.
3. Have, travelled.
4. Didn’t, travel.

Q (5). ___ you ever ___ tacos?

1. Has, eaten.
2. Have, eaten.
3. Have, eat.
4. Did, eat.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 3

Q (2) – 3

Q (3) – 4

Q (4) – 1

Q (5) – 2

D. Past Grammar Tenses – The Present Perfect Progressive

When to use this grammar tense:

The present perfect continuous tense is used mainly to put emphasis on the action itself and its continuity to the present time. It’s used in the following situations:

• To talk about an action that started in the past and is still happening in the present.
• To talk about an action that has already finished but its effect is still seen in the present.

The affirmative:

I, we, you, they + have been + verb + ing.

He, she, it + has been + verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• I have been living in this city for five years.
• She has been working all day long.
• We have been studying for our exams since last week.
• He has been studying French for three years.

The negative:

The negative is simply formed by adding “not” after “have/ has” as follows:

I, we, you, they + have not been + verb + ing.

He, she, it + has not been + verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• I haven’t been drinking soda lately.
• She hasn’t been feeling well recently.
• They haven’t been doing well in their exams recently.
• Women’s rights movements have been rising for the last few decades.

The question:

Questions in the present perfect continuous tense are mainly used to ask about the duration of an event or action using the question word “how long?” as follows:

How long + have/ has + subject + been + verb + ing?

Example sentences:

• How long have you been studying for this exam?
• How long has she been living in this city?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the present perfect progressive tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). She ___ for the final exams for a week.

1. Has been studying.
2. Have been studying.
3. Has been study.
4. Have been study.

Q (2). They ___ tennis for an hour.

1. Has been play.
2. Has been playing.
3. Have been playing.
4. Have been played.

Q (3). We ___ the cricket for a year.

1. Has been watching.
2. Has been watching.
3. Have been watched.
4. Haven’t been watching.

Q (4). How long ___ Studying Chinese?

1. Has she been.
2. She has been.
3. Has been she.
4. She have been.

Q (5). He ___ reading this book for three hours.

1. Have been.
2. Has been.
3. Have.
4. has.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 1

Q (2) – 3

Q (3) – 4

Q (4) – 1

Q (5) – 2

E. Past Grammar Tenses – The Past Perfect

When to use this grammar tense:

This tense could be described in one sentence as “earlier past”. That is because it’s used mainly to talk about events that had happened before another event (which also happened in the past).

So use the past perfect tense in these situations:

• If you are already talking about past events and want to talk about earlier events in the past. In this situation, we have two verbs in two different tenses; one in the past simple, where an event happened in the past and another verb in the past perfect, which had happened earlier in the past (earlier than the verb in the past simple tense). See the examples below to better understand this usage.
• To talk about past events that never happened, to express regrets, or talk about unrealized hopes.

The affirmative:

The subject + had + past participle (PP)

Example sentences:

• We had known each other for five years when we got married. (see here we have two events; one that was earlier (in the past perfect) than the other one (in the past simple), but both talk about past events).

The negative:

The negative and the question forms of this grammar tense are not so commonly used, but here’s how to form them in case you wanted to know:

The subject + had not (hadn’t) + PP

The question:

Yes or no questions:	Had + subject + PP?
With question words:	Question word + had + subject + PP?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the past perfect tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). We went to buy groceries because we ___ out of food.

1. Run.
2. Had run.
3. Have run.
4. Has run.

Q (2). She ___ the room when I walked in.

1. Has left.
2. Have left.
3. Had left.
4. Left.

Q (3). When they finally made it to the restaurant, she ___ .

1. Have already left.
2. Had already left.
3. Has already left.
4. Already left.

Q (4). He ___ his graduate studies before he turned 23 years old.

1. Already finished.
2. Had already finished.
3. Has already finished.
4. Have already finished.

Q (5). It was the first time that I ___ her sing.

1. Had heard.
2. Has heard.
3. Has been heard.
4. Have been heard.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 2

Q (2) – 3

Q (3) – 2

Q (4) – 2

Q (5) – 1

F. Past Grammar Tenses – The Past Perfect Progressive

When to use this grammar tense:

We use this tense to talk about an action that had continued up to a certain point in the past. The main difference between the past perfect progressive and the past perfect is that the progressive emphasises the idea of continuity while the latter puts emphasis on the idea of completion.

The affirmative:

The subject + had been + verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• He went to the doctor because he had been feeling ill.
• They had been listening to music when the doorbell rang.
• She had been working for this company for three years when she got the promotion.

The negative:

The negative and question forms are rarely used in the past perfect progressive tense, but if you want to know, here’s how to form them;

The subject + had not been + verb + ing.

The question:

Yes or no questions:	Had + subject + been + verb + ing?
With question words:	Question word + had + subject + been + verb + ing?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the past perfect progressive tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). They ___ talking on the phone for an hour before he arrived.

1. Has been.
2. Had been.
3. Had.
4. Has.

Q (2). She ___ working for this company for two years when they fired her.

1. Has.
2. Had
3. Have been.
4. Had been.

Q (3). I ___ teaching at this university for five years when I left for another position.

1. Have.
2. Had.
3. Had been.
4. Has been.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 2

Q (2) – 4

Q (3) – 3

2. Present Grammar Tenses

We have two main tenses to talk about the present in English. These are the present simple and the present progressive (also called the present continuous). So let’s talk about these two tenses.

A. Present Grammar Tenses – The Present Simple

When to use this grammar tense:

We use the present simple tense in the following situations:

• To state general facts.
• To talk about regular activities or things that happen repeatedly.
• To give true statements that have no time (like your height or the colour of your friend’s T-shirt).
• We can use it to talk about the future in certain situations. More on that in the future tenses section.

The affirmative:

He, she, and it	add -s to the end of the verb.
He, she, and it	add -es if the verb ends with z, x, s, ss, ch, sh, o, y preceded by a consonant (change the “y” into “i” before adding -es).
I, we, you, and they	use the verb as is.

Example sentences:

• I love orange juice.
• We cook every day.
• You look handsome.
• They speak several foreign languages.
• He snores every night.
• She wears sunglasses.
• The cat drinks milk.

The negative:

To form the negative in the simple present tense, we use “do not (don’t) or does not (doesn’t)” before the base form of the verb as follows:

He, she, and it	doesn’t + the base form of the verb (infinitive)
I, we, you, and they	don’t + the base form of the verb

Keep in mind that we always put the simple (base) form of the verb after don’t and doesn’t (we remove -s or -es from the end of the verb with he, she, and it in the negative form).

Example sentences:

• I don’t love orange juice.
• We don’t cook every day.
• You don’t look bad.
• They don’t speak several foreign languages.
• He doesn’t snore every night.
• She doesn’t wear sunglasses.
• The cat doesn’t drink soda.

The question:

To form a question in the simple present tense, we use “do or does” before the subject as follows:

Yes or no questions:	do + I, we, you, they + base verb + ……? does + he, she, it + base verb + ……?
With question words:	What Where When + do/ does + subject + base verb + ……? How Why

Keep in mind that we also use the base form of the verb in the question (as in the negative form).

Example sentences:

• Do you like orange juice?
• Do you cook every day?
• Do they speak foreign languages?
• Does he snore?
• What does she wear?
• Does the cat drink milk?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the present simple tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). She (to love) apple pies.

1. Love.
2. Loves.
3. Loving.
4. Is loving.

Q (2). They (to skate) in the evening.

1. Do not skate.
2. Does not skate.
3. Not skate.
4. Do not skates.

Q (3). ____ it rain in your country?

1. Do.
2. Is.
3. Has.
4. Does.

Q (4). ____ you eat mushrooms?

1. Does.
2. Has.
3. Do.
4. Are.

Q (5). He (to sleep) in the morning.

1. Does not sleep.
2. Do not sleep.
3. Does not sleeps.
4. Do not sleeps.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 2

Q (2) – 1

Q (3) – 4

Q (4) – 3

Q (5) – 1

B. Present Grammar Tenses – The Present Continuous

When to use this grammar tense:

We use the present continuous (also called the present progressive) to talk about things that are happening at the moment of speaking. We can use the present progressive to talk about the future in specific conditions. See the future tenses section for more details.

The affirmative:

I am (I’m) He, she, it is (‘s) We, you, they are (‘re)

+ verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• I am listening to music.
• We are watching a movie.
• You are blushing.
• They are working.
• He is playing video games.
• She is dancing.
• The dog is eating.

The negative:

We just add “not” after the verb “to be” to form the negative in the present progressive tense.

I am not He, she, it is not (isn’t) We, you, they are not (aren’t)

+ verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• I am not listening to music.
• We aren’t watching a movie.
• They aren’t working.
• He isn’t playing video games.
• She isn’t dancing.
• The dog isn’t eating.

The question:

We use the verb “to be” before the subject in the question form as follows:

Yes or no questions:	am + I is + he, she, it + verb + ing? are + we, you, they
With question words:	What Where When + am/ is/ are + subject + verb + ing? How Why

Example sentences:

• Are you listening to music?
• Are you watching a movie?
• What are you watching?
• Is he playing video games?
• Is she dancing?
• What is she doing?
• Why are you crying?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the present continuous tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). What ___ he ___ at the moment?

1. Does, do.
2. Are, doing.
3. Is, doing.
4. Is, do.

Q (2). She ___ cooking right now.

1. Are.
2. Isn’t.
3. Aren’t.
4. Am not.

Q (3). Why ___ ___ crying?

1. They are.
2. Is they.
3. Are they.
4. They is.

Q (4). We ___ going to the cinema.

1. Are.
2. Is.
3. Am.
4. Isn’t.

Q (5). The cat ___ playing.

1. Are.
2. Am.
3. Has.
4. Is.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 3

Q (2) – 2

Q (3) – 3

Q (4) – 1

Q (5) – 4

3. Future Grammar Tenses

There are many ways to talk about the future in English. In the following sections, we talk about these ways.

A. Future Grammar Tenses – The Simple Future

When to use this grammar tense:

• To give predictions about the future.
• To give your opinions or beliefs about the future.
• To express conditional ideas (the first conditional; what will happen if you do something).
• To make offers and promises.

The affirmative:

The subject + will (‘ll) + infinitive.

In British English, “shall” could be used instead of “will” with “I/ we”, but it’s rarely used now and almost not used at all in American English.

Example sentences:

• I’ll help you with your homework.
• I think Germany will win the world cup.
• My mom will help us with the cooking.
• They will be at the meeting tomorrow.

The negative:

The subject + will not (won’t) + infinitive.

Example sentences:

• I won’t help you with your homework.
• I think Germany won’t win the world cup.
• My mom won’t help us with the cooking.
• They won’t be at the meeting tomorrow.

The question:

Yes or no questions:	Will + subject+ infinitive?
With question words:	Question word + will + subject+ infinitive?

Example sentences:

• Will you help me with the homework?
• Which country do you think will win the world cup?
• Who will help us with the cooking?
• Will they be at the meeting tomorrow?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the simple future tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). He ___ a message after lunch.

1. Send.
2. Sends.
3. Will send.
4. Will sends.

Q (2). We ___ see him tomorrow.

1. Are.
2. Will be.
3. Will have.
4. Will not (won’t).

Q (3). They ___ married next month.

1. Will.
2. Won’t.
3. Will get.
4. Are going to.

Q (4). ___ she ___ a new car next year?

1. Will, buys.
2. Will, buy.
3. Is, going to.
4. Won’t, bought.

Q (5). When ___ start a new job?

1. Will you.
2. You will.
3. Are you.
4. Are you going.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 3

Q (2) – 4

Q (3) – 3

Q (4) – 2

Q (5) – 1

B. Future Grammar Tenses – The Future With “Going to”

When to use this grammar tense:

• To talk about future plans.
• To express intentions and decisions.
• To give predictions based on present evidence.

The affirmative:

I am He, she, it is We, you, they are

+ going to + infinitive.

In American English, “going to” is often shortened to “gonna” in informal language.

Example sentences:

• It is going to rain.
• He’s going to crash.
• She is going to buy a new car soon.
• We are going to travel to Brazil this year.

The negative:

I am not He, she, it is not (isn’t) We, you, they are not (aren’t)

+ going to + infinitive.

Example sentences:

• It isn’t going to rain.
• She isn’t going to buy a new car soon.
• We aren’t going to travel to Brazil this year.

The question:

Am I Is + he/ she/ it Are + we/ you/ they

+ going to + infinitive?

Example sentences:

• Is it going to rain?
• Is she going to buy a new car soon?
• Where are you going to travel this year?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the future with “going to” tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). I ___ to spend my holiday abroad this year.

1. Am.
2. Are.
3. Will.
4. Am going.

Q (2). He ___ to walk home.

1. Is not.
2. Isn’t go.
3. Isn’t going.
4. Won’t be.

Q (3). It ___ to rain.

1. Isn’t.
2. Isn’t going.
3. Will not.
4. Aren’t going.

Q (4). ___ he ___ to leave the house?

1. Are, going.
2. Is, going.
3. Will, go.
4. Was, going.

Q (5). ___ you ___ to cook dinner?

1. Are, going.
2. Will, go.
3. Is, going.
4. Were, going.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 4

Q (2) – 3

Q (3) – 2

Q (4) – 2

Q (5) – 1

C. Future Grammar Tenses – The Future Progressive

When to use this grammar tense:

We use the future progressive tense to talk about an action that will happen and continue for a period of time in the future.

The affirmative:

We use “will be” followed by the verb+ing as follows:

The subject + will be + verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• She will be travelling by car.
• They will be sharing a room.
• I will be cooking when you arrive.
• He will be working when we stop by.

The negative:

The negative form of the future continuous is formed by adding “not” after “will”.

The subject + will not (won’t) + be + verb + ing.

Example sentences:

• He won’t be joining us this evening.
• We won’t be attending the party this year.

The question:

We use “will” before the subject as follows:

Yes or no questions:	Will + subject + be + verb + ing?
With question words:	The question word + will + subject + verb + ing?

Example sentences:

• What will you be doing when we stop by?
• Will you still be working when I arrive?
• Will she be travelling by car?

A short quiz on this grammar tense:

Choose the correct form of the future progressive tense in each of the following questions.

Q (1). We ___ dancing all night.

1. Will.
2. Are.
3. Will be.
4. Are going.

Q (2). I ___ watching Spiderman from 7 to 9 pm tomorrow.

1. Will.
2. Won’t.
3. Will be.
4. Will have.

Q (3). She ___ working late tonight.

1. Will.
2. Won’t.
3. Will have.
4. Won’t be.

Q (4). What ___ you ___ doing at noon tomorrow?

1. Are, going.
2. Will, do.
3. Will, be.
4. Is, doing.

Q (5). They ___ leaving at 9 tomorrow morning.

1. Will be.
2. Are going.
3. Are going to.
4. Will have been.

The correct answers:

Q (1) – 3

Q (2) – 3

Q (3) – 4

Q (4) – 3

Q (5) – 1

D. Future Grammar Tenses – The Future Perfect

When to use this grammar tense:

The future perfect is used to talk about an action that will happen and be completed before a certain point in the future.

The affirmative:

The subject + will have + past participle (PP).

Example sentences:

• She will have left before you get there.
• By the time he reads this, she will have left.
• We will have finished this report by this time next week.

The negative:

The subject + will not have (won’t have) + past participle (PP).

Example sentences:

• She won’t have left before you get there.
• By the fine he reads this, she won’t have left.
• We won’t have finished this report by this time next week.

The question:

Yes or no questions:	Will + subject + have + PP?
With question words:	Question word + will + subject + have + PP?

Example sentences:

• Will she have left before you get there?
• Will she have left by the time he reads this?
• Will you have finished this report by this time next week?

E. Future Grammar Tenses – The Present Simple For Future

We have already mentioned in a previous section that we can use the present simple tense to talk about future events. We use the present simple tense to talk about fixed schedules. For example, we use it to talk about timetables, train or bus schedules.

Example sentences:

• Our plane leaves at seven o’clock.
• The holidays start next month.
• The train arrives at 10 pm.

F. Future Grammar Tenses – The Present Continuous For Future

The present progressive could be used to talk about fixed plans or arrangements in the near future. For example,

• I am visiting my grandma this evening.
• He’s coming to see us tomorrow.
• We are having pizza for dinner.

For more information about how to form the present simple or continuous tense, refer to this section above.

G. Future Grammar Tenses – Be About to + Infinitive

This is not a tense in itself but an expression that is used to talk about the future. It’s mainly used to talk about a very close event in the future. For example, she is about to give her talk on stage, or the plane is about to take off.

There’s also a similar expression that is used to talk about future events; that is (Be to + infinitive). This expression is used to talk about arrangements, plans, and schedules in the future. For example, the president is to visit Canada.

Conclusion

That was our topic for today, and we hope you got a clear and simple overview of all grammar tenses in English. We also recommend the following book for further reading and practising English grammar:

Practice Makes Perfect: Basic English, Premium Fourth Edition

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