What Is Verb Tense? (with Examples)

The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three tenses are:

• The Past Tense
• The Present Tense
• The Future Tense

Examples of Tenses

Here are some examples of verbs in different tenses:

• I walked to work.
(The verb walked is in the past tense.)
• I walk to work.
(The verb walk is in the present tense.)
• I will walk to work.
(The verb will walk is in the future tense.)

Remember, verbs do not just express actions. They can also express a state of being. For example:

• I was happy.
(The verb was is in the past tense.)
• I am happy.
(The verb am is in the present tense.)
• I will be happy.
(The verb will be is in the future tense.)

Examples of Verbs in Different Tenses

Here are some more examples of verbs in the past, present, and future tenses:

• The hardest that I have laughed at a movie was probably Team America. I laughed 'til I thought I was going to throw up. (Ron White)
(The shaded verbs are in the past tense.)
• You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you are all the same. (Jonathan Davis)
(The shaded verbs are in the present tense.)


• Nobody will laugh long who deals much with opium; even its pleasures are of a grave and solemn complexion. (Thomas de Quincey)
(The shaded verbs are in the future tense.)

You will notice that some of the verbs in the past tense example about Team America are made up of more than one word (have laughed, was going). We need these different versions of the tenses because the tenses are further categorized depending on whether the action (or state of being) they describe is in progress or completed. For example, the different versions of the verb to laugh are:

• Past Tense: laughed, was/were laughing, had laughed, had been laughing
• Present Tense: laugh, am/is/are laughing, has/have laughed, has/have been laughing
• Future Tense: will laugh, will be laughing, will have laughed, will have been laughing

The Full List of Tenses

The table below shows the full list of the tenses:

The 4 Past Tenses	Example
simple past tense	I went
past progressive tense	I was going
past perfect tense	I had gone
past perfect progressive tense	I had been going
The 4 Present Tenses	Example
simple present tense	I go
present progressive tense	I am going
present perfect tense	I have gone
present perfect progressive tense	I have been going
The 4 Future Tenses	Example
simple future tense	I will go
future progressive tense	I will be going
future perfect tense	I will have gone
future perfect progressive tense	I will have been going