English Grammar of Tense

In English grammar, tense indicates the time an action occurs, classifying verbs into past, present, and future categories. These basic tenses combine with four aspects—simple, continuous (or progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous—to create the twelve common tenses used to express different nuances of an action's timing, such as whether it's ongoing, completed, or began in the past. 

The Twelve Tenses
By combining the three main tenses with the four aspects, we get the twelve standard tenses: 

• Present Tenses:

1. 1. Present Simple 
   2. Present Continuous 
   3. Present Perfect 
   4. Present Perfect Continuous 

• Past Tenses:

1. 1. Past Simple 
   2. Past Continuous 
   3. Past Perfect
   4. Past Perfect Continuous

• Future Tenses:

1. 1. Future Simple 
   2. Future Continuous
   3. Future Perfect 
   4. Future Perfect Continuous