Examples of Tenses in English (240 Sentences of all tenses)

Tenses are an important part of English grammar. These indicate when the action is happening in relation to the speaker. There are three main types of tenses: past, present, and future. The tense tells the listener at which time the action has taken place or is ongoing.

• Past tense: The teacher went to see her doctor when she had a headache.
• Present tense: The teacher goes to see her doctor when she has a headache.
• Future tense: The teacher will go see her doctor when she will have a headache.

240 Examples of Tenses

These mixed sentences of all tenses will help you understand the verb tense. Each tense contains 20 example sentences.

#1 – Simple Past Tense

1. He opened the door.
2. She attended the meeting.
3. I walked to the store.
4. We played tennis on Sunday.
5. It stopped raining around midnight.
6. It started snowing at noon.
7. The plane crashed two days ago.
8. Mary broke her leg while skiing in Aspen last month.
9. It took them ten minutes to get there from here.
10. He moved to San Francisco last year for his new job.
11. Ann wanted to go home early.
12. The dog followed the cat into the garden.
13. They ate their dinner in front of the TV.
14. She told me what happened at school.
15. Did you remember to bring your lunch today?
16. Did you study at school?
17. I watered the plants.
18. The hurricane destroyed so many homes and cars.
19. The car was too complicated to fix right away.
20. I was just about to call you when the electricity went off.

#2 – Past Continuous/Progressive Tense

1. I was running when my friend called me on my mobile phone.
2. She was singing very quickly when she tripped over the step.
3. I was waiting for her to finish talking when she realized she had forgotten her purse in the shop.
4. He was listening to classical music while he cleaned his house professionally for three hours yesterday evening.
5. He was watching television when the doorbell rang.
6. We were cooking dinner, when her father arrived.
7. I was driving home from work last night when a woman on a motorbike ran a red light and hit my car.
8. I was washing my car when the rain started.
9. She was traveling along the river when she saw the bear.
10. Jim was waiting for three hours before the boss arrived.
11. My parents were going out when I came home.
12. We were talking on the phone when you called us.
13. The children were playing games on their phones when they heard a strange noise.
14. He was trying to fix the printer when it started making weird noises.
15. I was watching TV at home when I got a text from her.
16. We were making smoothies yesterday.
17. They were waiting for you when you arrived.
18. When she was opening the letter, she broke into tears.
19. He was taking his dog for a walk when he saw his friend.
20. The baby was crying loudly while we were having dinner.

#3 – Past Perfect Tense

1. I had finished my homework before you called.
2. I had never ridden a horse before I went on that adventure.
3. He had taken a shower.
4. She had finished the work three days before.
5. The package had been lost in the mail.
6. They had been painting the house since dawn.
7. I had seen it in one of his movies.
8. They had left the bags at the door.
9. What had happened to the dress?
10. He had written several papers about it.
11. She had found them an apartment.
12. How often had she visited the museum?
13. He had built a house by the age of 25.
14. She had lived in 4 states by the age of 18.
15. We had eaten dinner before they arrived home from work.
16. He had finished his work when I got to the office.
17. They were tired because they had worked all night.
18. He had built a good company before he retired.
19. The police found the body after the murderer had fled.
20. They had lost weight because they had been dieting.

#4 – Past Perfect Continuous/Progressive Tense

1. I had been searching for a new desk.
2. She had been staying in Italy for years before she decided to study there.
3. She had been learning English for three years.
4. He had been learning Spanish since she was six years old.
5. I had been waiting for him since 8:00 am.
6. I had been trying to call you, but the line was busy.
7. I had been chatting with my friend for hours before he arrived.
8. She had been walking down the road when she realized she forgot her keys.
9. He had been mowing the lawn when his car broke down.
10. She had been riding her bike through the windy forest road and fell off and hurt her.
11. I had been waiting for my breakfast when he arrived.
12. She had been feeling dizzy because of the medicine she had taken.
13. I had been doing my homework.
14. Both sisters had been learning English.
15. Since the movie started, he had been sleeping.
16. I had been waiting for five minutes.
17. She had been looking forward to the party for a long time.
18. I had been waiting there for two hours when she arrived.
19. We had not been swimming for 5 minutes when Sue fell and hurt her knee.
20. He had been living in the US since 1980.

#5 – Simple Present Tense

1. They open the door.
2. We swim in the pool every day.
3. My father play tennis every Sunday.
4. He drives his car to work every day.
5. Daria calls her friend every month.
6. I live in New York.
7. He writes a text message to his mother.
8. John and Mary meet every Saturday.
9. They usually eat breakfast together every morning.
10. We go to the office at 10:00 am.
11. The computer is on the table.
12. The car stops suddenly on the road.
13. They are busy at work until six o’clock every evening.
14. I come every week.
15. They bring flowers.
16. She buys eggs every morning.
17. Greg drinks coffee at breakfast.
18. Kate goes to the office by car.
19. They help her with work every day.
20. The dog jumps over the window sill.

#6 – Present Continuous / Progressive Tense

1. I am watching a movie tonight.
2. He is learning Python programming language.
3. She is eating breakfast in the morning.
4. They are having lunch at home.
5. We are flying to Australia tomorrow.
6. We are celebrating our first anniversary on Monday.
7. She is working on a big project this month.
8. They are celebrating their new baby girl next week.
9. She is cooking dinner.
10. I am taking a bath.
11. They are having an argument.
12. He is having his car repaired.
13. She is not answering her phone.
14. The dog is eating its food.
15. Mandy and Mike are living in Canada now.
16. What is she doing?
17. Are you reading your favorite book?
18. She is coming out of her house.
19. What is Peter doing?
20. He is coming with us, and that’s all there is to it.

#7 – Present Perfect Tense

1. I have seen the movie.
2. We have had a meeting.
3. He has bought a car.
4. Have you told him about our new product?
5. She has danced the whole night.
6. They have already eaten.
7. The team has lost the game.
8. I have taken an exam yesterday.
9. Mark has finished his homework.
10. I have rented a camera from James for my holiday trip to Lahaina`s Atalntic Resort & Spa.
11. Have you studied English?
12. Have they opened the window?
13. Has she worked here?
14. Has he finished his project?
15. We have seen the movie three times.
16. I have lived in London for two months.
17. He has known me for years.
18. I haven’t been here since I started university.
19. He hasn’t got any friends.
20. Why haven’t you finished reading the book?

#8 – Present Perfect Continuous/Progressive Tense

1. I have been living in New York for the past five years.
2. I have been thinking about you all day.
3. She has been waiting for the bus for over an hour.
4. We have been having problems with our car engine recently.
5. You have been cluttering around since early this morning.
6. He has been earning one dollar a month since he was six.
7. She has been eating pizza since lunch.
8. They have been travelling without a destination.
9. I’ve been making cakes since I was four years old.
10. I have been studying English for a year.
11. I have been living in London for two months.
12. You have been studying in the library for over 4 hours.
13. He has been playing guitar since 5 pm.
14. She has been listening to that song for thirty minutes.
15. She has been waiting for an hour.
16. She has been living in France since she was 18.
17. I have been working as a receptionist since last year.
18. We have been eating breakfast every day.
19. He has been driving for hours without rest.
20. We have been studying English for months.

#9 – Simple Future Tense

1. I will study English every day.
2. She will play tennis on Saturday.
3. That movie will premiere on July 14th 2022.
4. When will you decide to move to another city?
5. She will work in the store.
6. They will play tennis at five.
7. He will learn to drive a car in the country.
8. They will work on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer holidays.
9. It will be sunny tomorrow, so we will have a picnic with friends in the park.
10. I will wash my hair tonight, but I will do my makeup tomorrow for a party.
11. I will go to the dentist.
12. Donald Trump will be the next US President.
13. I will see you soon.
14. We will not finish before 6 o’clock.
15. You are going to spend the weekend cleaning up after your party.
16. When you will finish exercise, you are going to feel great.
17. On Friday, we are going to be out of town all day.
18. By Monday, it will be break time from school.
19. First thing tomorrow morning, everyone is going to see the new Star Wars movie.
20. We shall have to start earlier tomorrow morning if we are to finish on time.

#10 – Future Continuous/Progressive Tense

1. I will be buying more stamps.
2. We shall be going to the museum tomorrow.
3. She will be studying this course with us.
4. He will be working as a sales manager at ABC.
5. You will be helping her from time to time.
6. They will be answering questions about their hobby.
7. The students will be taking the exam.
8. Jane will be watching a movie.
9. He will be seeing her new house tomorrow.
10. She will be starting a new job in Australia in six months.
11. I will be studying when you arrive.
12. The party will be beginning soon when they get here.
13. They are going to be sleeping when you get home from work.
14. She will be writing her report now.
15. After two hours, I will be bathing.
16. When I arrive, she will be having her interview.
17. Until then, the party will be going on.
18. For breakfast, he will be eating cereal.
19. He will be exercising every day by January 1.
20. I will be singing.

#11 – Future Perfect Tense

1. You will not have gone there if you stay home tonight.
2. You will have seen him if you go that way.
3. Will you have finished by early evening?
4. I will have finished this by tonight.
5. She will have finished work by seven.
6. We will have gone home by that point.
7. They will have finished their homework by this time tomorrow.
8. By the time they arrive, we’ll have finished the project.
9. By eleven o’clock, you will have sent this email.
10. We won’t leave until you will have calmed down.
11. I will have finished the work by the time you get home.
12. You will have forgotten by now.
13. She will have recorded her presentation by this time tomorrow.
14. They will have started work on the house next week.
15. The police will have found at least three more victims before dawn.
16. By the end of my vacation, I will have lost ten pounds.
17. Teresa will have applied for a job by the time you get back from vacation.
18. You will have reached to the office by 9 am today.
19. They will have completed by tomorrow morning by 8:00 am.
20. I will have finished the work by 9 am on Wednesday.

#12 – Future Perfect Continuous/Progressive Tense

1. I will have been working here for 8 hours by that time.
2. You will not have been swimming for 5 minutes, by the time I arrive.
3. She will not have been waiting for him 3 hours by the time he arrives.
4. We will have been eating dinner for 20 minutes when you get here.
5. He will have been living there for three years by the time he graduates from college.
6. I am wondering if they will have been eating breakfast yet when we get there.
7. We will have been singing for three hours by the time they arrive.
8. I will not have been working on that assignment since last week.
9. She will have been washing the dishes.
10. They will have been talking on Skype for two hours.
11. We will have been preparing dinner for an hour.
12. He will have been driving for 4 hours already.
13. We will have been cleaning the house for a long time, when our friends arrive.
14. She will have been looking at the data for a long time when the problem is fixed.
15. By then, she will have been answering my emails all weekend.
16. By this time on Monday, they will have been researching and writing their presentation all weekend long.
17. We will have been discussing the proposal for two hours when the boss returns from vacation.
18. She will have been studying for more than 2 hours before I get home tonight.
19. We are going to have been dating for four years by then.
20. She will not have been waiting for us all this time if she had known we were going to be late.

Pin

These are the links of all tenses, their examples and worksheets.

• 12 Verb Tenses in English Grammar
• Tenses Worksheet (Mixed Tenses Exercise) with Answer

Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense with Examples
2. 50 Sentences of Simple Past Tense
3. Simple Past Tense Worksheets
4. Past Continuous / Progressive Tense
5. 50 Sentences of Past Continuous Tense
6. Past Continuous Tense Worksheets
7. Past Perfect Tense with Examples
8. 50 Sentences of Past Perfect Tense
9. Past Perfect Tense Worksheets
10. Past Perfect Continuous Tense with Examples
11. 50 Sentences of Past Perfect Continuous Tense
12. Past Perfect Continuous Tense Worksheets

Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense (Formula, Examples & Exercises)
2. 50 Sentences of Simple Present Tense
3. Simple Present Tense Worksheets
4. Present Continuous Tense Formula, Examples & Usage
5. 50 Sentences of Present Continuous Tense
6. Present Continuous Tense Worksheets
7. Present Perfect Tense with Examples
8. 50 Sentences of Present Perfect Tense
9. Present Perfect Tense Worksheets
10. Present Perfect Continuous Tense Examples, Exercise, & Structure
11. 50 Sentences of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
12. Present Perfect Continuous Tense Worksheets

Future Tense

1. Simple Future Tense Explained with Examples, Formula, and Exercise
2. 50 Sentences of Simple Future Tense
3. Simple Future Tense Worksheets
4. Future Continuous Tense Structure, Rules and Examples
5. 50 Sentences of Future Continuous Tense
6. Future Continuous Tense Worksheets
7. Future Perfect Tense Formula and Examples
8. 50 Sentences of Future Perfect Tense
9. Future Perfect Tense Worksheets
10. Future Perfect Continuous Tense Structure, Examples and Exercise
11. 50 Sentences of Future Perfect Continuous Tense
12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense Worksheets