TENSES → THE 12-TENSE MAP · RULE 07
The 12-Tense Map
Every English tense is just time (past, present, future) × aspect (simple, continuous, perfect). Twelve boxes, four formulas — and you already know six of them.
FORMULA
time × aspect
PAST
PRESENT
FUTURE
PAST SIMPLE
V2
She walked.
OPEN RULE →
PRESENT SIMPLE
V / V-s
She walks.
OPEN RULE →
FUTURE SIMPLE
will + V
She will walk.
OPEN RULE →
PAST CONTINUOUS
was/were + V-ing
She was walking.
OPEN RULE →
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
am/is/are + V-ing
She is walking.
OPEN RULE →
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
will be + V-ing
She will be walking.
PAST PERFECT
had + V3
She had walked.
PRESENT PERFECT
have/has + V3
She has walked.
OPEN RULE →
FUTURE PERFECT
will have + V3
She will have walked.
PAST PERF. CONTINUOUS
had been + V-ing
She had been walking.
PRESENT PERF. CONTINUOUS
have been + V-ing
She has been walking.
FUTURE PERF. CONTINUOUS
will have been + V-ing
She will have been walking.
THE FOUR FORMULAS
S
Simple — states the fact.
V2 · V-s · will + V
C
Continuous — in progress.
be + V-ing
P
Perfect — done before, matters now.
have + V3
PC
Perfect Continuous — how long already.
have been + V-ing
Start with the six open boxes on the map — they carry almost all everyday English. The rest can wait politely.
HOW TO READ THE MAP
1 · pick the timepast · present · future
2 · pick the aspectsimple · continuous · perfect
3 · combinepast + continuous = was walking
THE HELPER WORDS
do · does · didask & deny in simple
am · is · are · was · werebuild continuous
have · has · hadbuild perfect
willpoints to the future
COMMON MISTAKES