By Estuardo Castillo

ALL THE ENGLISH GRAMMAR YOU’LL EVER NEED

Many people confuse verb forms with verb tenses in English. Here is the key difference. Verb forms are independent of wheter or not the statement is in present, past or future. They remain unchanged. Here are some examples:

Verb forms in English

Base Form Infinitive Past formPast

participlePresent

participle

Go To-go Went Gone Going

Eat To-eat Ate Eaten Eating

Study To-study Studied Studied Studying

See To-see Saw Seen seeing

Verb

To Be

ing

ing

have

Past particip

lebeenhav

e

THE VERB TENSES PYRAMYD

For simple present, simple past and simple future you only change the main verb.

i.e.

I study English.I studied English.

I will study English.I am going to study English.

Verb

With progressive or continuous tenses, we use a form of be (in present, past or future) and the main verb ending in ING

Susan is studying English.Susan was studying English.

Susan will be studying English.Susan is going to be studying

English.

To Be

ing

To form the Present perfect, past perfect and future perfect tenses, we use have (conjugated in present past of future) and the main verb in the past participle form

Susan has studied English.Susan had studied English (before she learned

French).By 2020 Susan will have studied two

English courses.

have

Past particip

le

The perfect progressive tenses require 2 auxiliary verbs; a form of have and the past participle of to be (BEEN) followed by the main verb in the ING form.

Susan has been studying English since 7 o’clock.

Susan had been studying English when I

called her. In December, Susan will have been studying

English for six months.

ingbeenhave