Here's a look at the tenses; meanings & forms:

There are two tenses in the English language: the simple present tense and the simple past tense. Other time references are usually referred to as “structures” or “forms”.

1. Simple Present Tense

My name is Mark.
He lives in Leeds.
We write books.
The plane arrives at 6 a.m.

The uses of this tense include talking about facts, routines and fixed times. (The first sentence expresses a fact and the final sentence refers to a future event.)

The highlighted verbs are in the simple present tense.

2. Present Continuous / Present Progressive

I am writing an email to Naomi.
You are reading this document.
They are playing football.
My friends are having a party next week.

In the first three sentences, the highlighted structure tells us that the actions are happening at this moment. In the final sentence, the structure tells us about an arrangement. This is a reference to a future event.

As well as talking about what is happening at the moment of speaking, we also use the present continuous structure to refer to the future and to refer to arrangements we have made. There is usually a specific time reference.

You can see that an auxiliary verb formed from the verb “to be” precedes the main verb. The main verb ends in “ing”.

2. Simple Past Tense

I lost my wallet last week.
I slept for six hours last night.
I made a film last year.
I had a shower this morning.

We use this tense when we know something has finished and / or when we know the time the action finished.

The highlighted verb is the simple past tense form.

3. Past Continuous / Past Progressive

I was writing an email to Chloe when the telephone rang.
We were watching television when someone broke the window.
They were walking along the main road when the accident happened.
I was having a party when the fire broke out.

We use the past continuous to describe an action in the past which was interrupted by another action.

There are two clauses in each sentence. In the highlighted structure the main verb has “ing” on the end and it is preceded by an auxiliary verb. The auxiliary verb is a past form of the verb "to be" (was / were).

Note that you cannot have a sentence with only the past continuous structure. It cannot stand alone. For example: We were watching television….…is incomplete.

4. Future Form using “will”

The new store will open next week.
He will be the next president.
Okay, I’ll do the washing up.
Which ward is she in? I‘ll go and see her tomorrow.

Each main verb is in the infinitive form without the “to” and is preceded by the modal* verb “will”.

In the first sentence we are referring to a fact. This future form (there are several) is used in the second sentence to express a prediction. In the final two sentences it expresses a spontaneous decision to do something in the future.

5. Future with ‘Going to’

I am going to travel to The Czech Republic this month.
You are going to find this tense easy to understand.

· My friend is going to join a new band..

I am going to listen to some music now.

We use ’going to’ + main verb (in the infinitive form) when we talk about plans and decisions. We are referring to the future and there doesn’t have to be a definite time reference.

We also use the “going to” structure to express predictions. An example of a prediction using “going to” is the second sentence. It is not a plan or a decision.

The main verb is preceded by the appropriate form of the verb “to be” + ‘going to’.

6. Future Continuous / Progressive

I’ll be seeing Naomi later.
You lucky man! This time next week you’ll be lying in the sun!
My friends will be having a party on Saturday.
She’ll be coming here on Sunday.

We use this structure to refer to an activity that will be in progress in the future. In each sentence the main verb ends in “ing” and is preceded by will + be.

7. Present Perfect

I have visited thirteen different countries.
My friend has eaten sushi.
I have lived here since June.
I have worked for i-to-i since 1997.

In the first two examples, we do not know when the events occurred and our attention is directed toward the experiences. In the final two sentences, reference has been made to actions / events which started in the past and have not finished.

An auxiliary verb precedes the past participle form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb is “has” or “have”.

When you use a regular verb (i.e. a verb ending in “ed”) the past participle form is the same form as the simple past. However, with irregular English verbs (of which there are about 200) the main verb changes. For example:

eat (infinitive form) ate (simple past) eaten (past participle)
swim (infinitive form) swam (simple past) swum (past participle)
like (infinitive form) liked (simple past) liked (past participle)

Now compare the simple past with the present perfect:

I had a cold last week. I have had a cold.

(Examples of indefinite time and a definitie time.)

I lived in Hereford for 20 years. I’ve lived in Hereford for 20 years.

(Examples of a finished action and an unfinished action.)

8. Present Perfect Continuous / Present Perfect Progressive

I have been living in Royston for three months.
Alex has been seeing his Janet for about nine months.
I have been writing this document for over two hours now.
Jane has been playing squash recently.

The use of this structure is similar to the present perfect but it is also used to express duration or a repeated action. The main verb is followed by “ing” and is preceded by has / have + been.

9. Future Perfect

I will have finished this document by lunchtime.
I hope I won’t have forgotten all this information when I take the exam.
Mark will have spent all his money by the time he comes home.
If you don’t get here soon, we’ll have eaten everything.

We are referring to an action that will have finished before a definite time in the future.

“Will” and “have” precede the past participle form of the main verb. Notice the irregular verbs.

10. Past Perfect

The concert had started, by the time I arrived at The Barbican.

· Before I moved to Liverpool, I had lived in Leeds for ten years.

When we met the following week, she had dyed her hair blue.
My friends had already eaten when I arrived at the restaurant.

We use the past perfect when we refer to two past events. One event precedes the other. The past perfect structure is used to refer to the event which occurred first. The simple past refers to the second event. (You can alter the order of the clauses.) The auxiliary verb “had” precedes the past participle form of the main verb. Notice that past perfect clauses cannot stand alone. For example: The concert had started…….

11. Past Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect Progressive

It had been snowing and the streets were wet and slippery.
Mark had been working for ten hours before he fell asleep.
Before the police turned up the police had been rioting for two hours.
When my friend arrived, I had been waiting for twenty minutes.

The use of this structure is similar to the past perfect. It is used to describe an event that had been ongoing before another event occurred. The structure is: had + been + verb + ing. Clauses using the past perfect continuous form don’t stand in isolation.

* Modal verbs include: will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, ought to, must, have to, used to. When the are followed by a main verb, this verb is always in the infinitive form without “to”. The main verb carries meaning and the modal verb expresses attitude and/or time.