Verbs Sheet 2: Tenses & Forms

Learn all forms of English verbs, including all common tenses, conditionals and the gerund. Browse
this website for more information.

Present Tenses in English Examples

Present Simple Tense He smokes cigars

Present Continuous Tense He is smoking a cigar right now

Past Tenses in English

Past Simple Tense I visited London in 2005.

Past Continuous Tense I was reading a magazine when he arrived.

Perfect Tenses in English

Present Perfect Tense She has lived here since 2001.

Present Perfect Continuous He has been coming to this club for decades.

Past Perfect We had met this couple a few times before they decided to get married.

Past Perfect ContinuousShe had been watching him for some time when they realized that they
knew each other.

Future Perfect They will have crosses the border by the time you get this message.

Future Perfect Continuous By the end of this year, you will have been living here for a decade.

Future Tenses in English

Simple Future Tense We will go to Barcelona next month.

Future Continuous Tense I will be visiting Berlin next week.

Conditional Forms in English

Zero conditional If temperature rises, ice melts

Type 1 conditional If we're late, she will be very upset.

Type 2 conditional If she was in Japan she would be sleeping now.

Type 3 conditional She would have visited me if she had had time.

Mixed conditional I would be playing tennis if I hadn't broken my arm.

The -ing forms in English

Gerund I enjoy traveling.

Present participle She goes swimming every day

When Stephen ________________ (arrive) home, Jennifer ________________ (watch) television.

I ________________ (prepare) dinner when the telephone ________________ (ring).

What ________________ (you do) when the postman ________________(arrive)?

Kimberly ________________ (learn) to drive when she ________________ (work) in London.

Where ________________ (you sit) when the show ________________ (begin)?

I ________________ (visit) Athens while I ________________ (tour) Greece.

It was when he ________________ (cross) the street that John ________________ (fall).

What ________________ (you see) while you ________________ (wait) for the bus?

Where ________________ (you go) when your car ________________ (break) down?

Annie ________________ (meet) Josh when she ________________ (walk) in the park.

Answer Key

arrived - was watching

was preparing - rang

were you doing - arrived

learnt/learned - was working

were you sitting - began

visited - was touring

was crossing - fell

did you see - you were waiting

were you going - broke down

met - was walking