4th Year Student for

MA’HAD ‘ALY AL BADR BANGKINANG

the 2023/2024 Academic Year

16 TENSES
Definitions, Formulas, and Examples

By: Nida Husna

 LIST OF CONTENT

COVER AND TITLE

LIST OF CONTENT......................................................................1

DEFINITION, FORMULA, AND EXAMPLE OF 16 TENSES..............2

1. Simple Present Tense...........................................................2

2. Simple Past Tense.................................................................3
3. Simple Future Tense.............................................................4
4. Present Continuous Tense....................................................5
5. Past Continuous Tense.........................................................6
6. Future Continuous Tense.....................................................7
7. Present Perfect Tense...........................................................8
8. Past Perfect Tense................................................................9
9. Future Perfect Tense..........................................................10
10. Present Perfect Continuous Tense....................................11
11. Past Perfect Continuous Tense.........................................12
12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense.....................................13
13. Past Future Tense.............................................................14
14. Past Future Continuous Tense..........................................15
15. Past Future Perfect Tense.................................................16
16. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense..............................17

1
 1. Simple present tense

 Definition
 It’s a verb tense that talks about what happens habitually or continually. It can
also talk about what is happening right now.
 It’s a verb tense with two main uses. We use it when an action is happening right
now, or when it happens regularly. Depending on the person, it’s formed by using
the root form or by adding –s or –es to the end.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) S + V1 (+ s/es) + C (+) S + to be (are/is/am) + C
(-) S + do/does not + V 1 + C (-) S + to be (are/is/am) + not + C
(?) Do/does + S + V 1 + C ? (?) To be (are/is/am) + S + C ?
WH Question + do/does + S + V 1 + C ? WH Question + to be (are/is/am) + S + C ?
Who + do/does + V 1 + C ? Who + to be (are/is/am) + C ?
Subject To be Verb Time Signal
I am Every
You V1 Rarely
We are Usually
They Always
She Often
He is V1 s/es Frequently
Sometimes
It

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza drinks coffee every morning. (+) Raka is very happy every day.
)
(-) Elza doesn't drink coffee every morning. (-) Raka isn't very happy every day.
(?) Does Elza drink coffee every morning? (?) Is Raka very happy every day?
What does Indah drink every morning? Why is Raka very happy every day?
Who drink coffee every morning? Who is very happy every day?

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 2. SIMPLE PAST TENSE

 Definition
 It’s used to express the actions that happened in the past or happened one after
the other.
 It shows action that occurred and was completed at a particular time in the past.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) S + V2 + C (+) S + to be (was/were) + C
(-) S + did + not + V1 + C (-) S + to be (was/were) + not + C
(?) Did + S + V1 + C? (?) To be (was/were) + S + C?
WH Question + did + S + V1 + C? WH Question + to be (was/were) + S + C?
Who + V2 + C? Who + to be (was/were) + C?

To be Time Signal
I was Yesterday
You Last
We were Two week ago
They A year ago
She Just now
He was The day before yesterday
It

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza drank coffee yesterday morning.
)
(-) Elza didn't drink coffee yesterday morning.
(?) Did Elza drink coffee yesterday morning?
What did Indah drink yesterday morning?
Who drank coffee yesterday morning?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) Raka was very happy last night.
(-) Raka wasn’t very happy last night.
(?) Was Raka very happy last night?
Why was Raka very happy last night?
Who was very happy last night?

3. Simple future tense

3
 Definition
 It’s the form of the verb that refers to an action or even that has not yet begun.
 It’s a verb tense that is used to describe the things that have not happened yet.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) S + will/shall + V1 + C (+) S + will/shall + be + C
(-) S + will/shall + not + V1 + C (-) S + will/shall + not + be + C
(?) Will/shall + S + V1 + C? (?) Will/shall + S + be + C?
WH Question + will/shall + S + V1 + C? WH Question + will/shall + S + be + C?
Who + will + V1 + C? Who + will + be + C?

p Subject + will Time Signal

I’ll Tonight
You’ll Tomorrow
We’ll Next
They’ll When/while
He’ll Tomorrow night
She’ll Until
It’ll If

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+ (+
Merry will cook a special cake for us. We'll be at home tomorrow.
) )
(-) Merry won't cook a special cake for us. (-) We'll not be at home tomorrow.
(?) Will Merry cook a special cake for us? (?) Will we be at home tomorrow?
What will Merry cook for us? Why will you be at home tomorrow?
Who will cook a special cake for us? Who will be at home tomorrow?

4. Present continuous tense

4
 Definition
 It’s used for actions happening now or action that is unfinished. It’s also when the
action is temporary. It expresses an on going action or task of the present. It’s
also called present progressive tense.
 It’s used to describe an action happening now, or an on going action. It can also
be used to talk about something that will happen in the future. To form present
continuous, add -ing to the base form of a verb (without to).

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE Time Signal

Now
(+) S + to be (are/is/am) + V1ing + C
Today
(-) S + to be (are/is/am) + not + V1ing + C This
At present
(?) To be (are/is/am) + S + V1ing + C?
At the moment
WH Question + to be (are/is/am) + S + V1ing + C?

Who + to be (are/is/am) + V1ing + C?

NOMINAL SENTENCE

(+) S + to be (are/is/am) + being + C

(-) S + to be (are/is/am) + not + being + C

(?) To be (are/is/am) + S + being + C?

WH Question + to be (are/is/am) + S + being + C?

Who + to be (are/is/am) + being + C?

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
Richard is reading a book. (+) Charlie is being happy.
)
(-) Richard isn't reading a book. (-) Charlie isn't being happy.
(?) Is Richard reading a book? (?) Is Charlie being happy?
What is Richard reading? Why is Charlie being happy?
Who is reading a book? Who is being happy?

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 5. Past continuous tense

 Definition
 It expresses the actions or task that was on going in the past. We cannot
determine when the action started or finished. It is also called past progressive
tense.
 It expresses an action that was in progress at some point in the past.
 It expresses an activity was in progress (was occurring, was happening) at a point
of time in the past or at the time of another action.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE Time Signal

When
(+) S + to be (was/were) + V1ing + C
While
(-) S + to be (was/were) + not + V1ing + C As
Whereas
(?) To be (was/were) + S + V1ing + C?

WH Question + to be (was/were) + S + V1ing + C?

Who + to be (was/were) + V1ing + C?

NOMINAL SENTENCE

(+) S + to be (was/were) + being + C

(-) S + to be (was/were) + not + being + C

(?) To be (was/were) + S + being + C?

WH Question + to be (was/were) + S + being + C?

Who + to be (was/were) + being + C?

 Example
1. Berry was sleeping when the phone rang. (kata kerja yang sifatnya sebentar)
past progressive another action
(digunakan jika setelahnya menggunakan past tense)

2. They were studying while I was making dinner.

past progressive past progressive
(digunakan jika setelahnya menggunakan progressive tense)

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7
 6. Future continuous tense

 Definition
 It expresses the action that will be on going at some time in the future. It’s also
called future progressive tense.
 It’s a verb tense used to express the idea that action will be in progress at
some time in the future.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+) S + will + be + V1ing + C
(-) S + will + not + be + V1ing + C
(?) Will + S + be + V1ing + C?
WH Question + will + S + be + V1ing + C?
Who + will + be + V1ing + C?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) S + will + be + being + C
(-) S + will + not + be + being + C
(?) Will + S + be + being + C?
WH Question + will + S + be + being + C?
Who + will + be + being + C?

Time Signal

Next
Tomorrow
At this
To

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+
Jonny will be driving a car tomorrow.
)
(-) Jonny won't be driving a car tomorrow.
(?) Will Jonny be driving a car tomorrow?
What will Jonny be driving tomorrow?
Who will be driving a car tomorrow?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) Mika will be being a diligent student.
(-) Mika won't be being a diligent student.
(?) Will Mika be being a diligent student?
When will Mika be being a diligent student?
Who will be being a diligent student?

8
 7. Present perfect tense

 Definition
 It expresses activities or situations that occurred or didn’t occur before now at
some unspecified time in the past.
 It expresses activities that we repeated several or many times in the past. The
exact times are unspecified.
 It is used with since or for it expresses situations that began in the past at
continue to the present.
 It is used to emphasize the duration of an action that occurred in a time period
before now. When using this tense, you should also provide an additional
sentence that describes what happened before now.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+) S + has/have + V3 + C
(-) S + has/have + not + V3 + C
(?) Has/have + S + V3 + C?
WH Question + has/have + S + V3 + C?
Who + has/have + V3 + C?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
S + has/have + been + C
)
(-) S + has/have + not + been + C
(?) Has/have + S + been + C?
WH Question + has/have + S + been + C?
Who + has/have + been + C?

Subject Time Signal

I
Several times Just
You have
Many times Since
We
A couple of times Never
They
Once in my life time Ever
She
Part-time
He has
It

 Example
1. I have finished my work for a long time.
2. My brother has taken Zuhur prayer at Al Badr mosque five or six time.

9
 8. Past perfect tense

 Definition
 The past perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in
the past.
 The past perfect tense uses had and a past participle for the first person, third
person singular, and third person plural subjects.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+ (+
S + had + V3 + C S + had + been + C
) )
(-) S + had + not + V3 + C (-) S + had + not + been + C
(?) Had + S + V3 + C ? (?) Had + S + been + C ?
WH Question + had + S + V3 + C ? WH Question + had + S + been + C ?
Who + had + V3 + C ? Who + had + been + C ?

Time Signal

When
Before
After
Until

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza had drunk coffe. (+) Raka had been happy.
)
(-) Elza had not drunk coffe. (-) Raka had not been
(?) Had Elza drunk coffee? (?) Had Raka been happy?
What had Elza Drunk? When had Raka been happy?
Who had drunk coffee? Who had been happy?

 She had studied English before she moved to London.

past perfect simple past
 When he came last night, the cake had run out.
simple past past perfect

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 9. Future perfect tense

 Definition
 Future perfect tense is used to express the action that will be completed in future
at some time.
 Future perfect tense is a verb tense that indicates an action or event that will be
completed by some point in the future.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+
S + will + have + V3 + C
)
(-) S + will + not + have + V3 + C
(?) Will + S + have + V3 + C?
WH Question + will + S + have + V3 + C?
Who + will + have + V3 + C?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) S + will + have + been + C
(-) S + will + not + have + been + C
(?) Will + S + have + been + C?
WH Question + will + S + have + been + C?
Who + will + have + been + C?

Time Signal

Before
After
By
This

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+) Elza will have drunk coffee by tomorrow.
(-) Elza will not have drunk coffee by tomorrow.
(?) Will Elza have drunk coffee by tomorrow?
When will Elza have drunk coffee?
Who will have drunk coffee by tomorrow?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) Raka will have been sad by next Sunday.
(-) Raka won't have been sad by next Sunday.
(?) Will Raka have been sad by next Sunday?
Why will Raka have been sad?
Who will have been sad by next Sunday?

11
 10. Present perfect continuous tense

 Definition
 Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express the action or task that
started in the past and continues in present.
 Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used for actions that have been going on
since the past and up until the present. It can also be used to refer to actions that
are still in progress, but still haven’t been finished.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+) S + have/has + been + V1ing + C
(-) S + have/has + not + been + V1ing + C
(?) Have/has + S + been + V1ing + C?
WH Question + have/has + S + been + V1ing+ C?
Who + have/has + been + V1ing + C?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) S + have/has + been + being + C
(-) S + have/has + not + been + being + C
(?) Have/has + S + been + being + C?
WH Question + have/has + S + been + being + C?
Who + have/has + been + being + C?

Subject Time Signal

I
For
You have
Since
We
All
They
The whole day
She
He has
It

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) Elza has been drinking coffee for an hour. (+) Raka has been being sad since at 1 o'clock.
(-) Elza hasn’t been drinking coffee for an hour. (-) Raka hasn’t been being sad since at 1 o'clock.
(?) Has Elza been drinking coffee for an hour? (?) Has Raka been being sad since at 1 o'clock?
What has Elza been drinking for an hour? Why has Raka been being sad?
Who has been drinking coffee for an hour? Who has been being sad since at o'clock?
11. Past perfect continuous tense

12
 Definition
 Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express the action that started in the
past and continued in the past for some time. It is also called Past Perfect
Progressive Tense.

 Past Perfect Continuous tense is a verb tense that is used to express an action
that started in the past and continued up until another point in the past.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
S + had + been + V1ing + C (+) S + had + been + being + C
)
(-) S + had + not + been + V1ing + C (-) S + had + not + been + being + C
(?) Had + S + been + V1ing + C? (?) Had + S + been + being + C?
WH Question + had + S + been + V1ing + C? WH Question + had + S + been + being + C?
Who + had + been + V1ing + C? Who + had + been + being + C?

Time Signal

When
While
As
For

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza had been drinking coffee. (+) Raka had been being happy.
)
(-) Elza hadn’t been drinking coffee. (-) Raka hadn’t been being happy.
(?) Had Elza been drinking coffee? (?) Had Raka been being happy?
What had Elza been drinking? Why had Raka been being happy?
Who had been drinking coffee? Who had been being happy?
12. Future perfect continuous tense

13
 Definition
 Future perfect continuous tense is used to express the on going action that will be
completed in future before a certain time.
 Future perfect continuous is a verb tense used to emphasize an action that will be
in progress up until another point in time in the future. It’s usually used to
describe a situation that started in the past and will continue into the foreseeable
future. The duration of time for the event is not necessary to be specified, but it
must take place after a certain time in the future.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE Time Signal

Since
(+) S + will + have + been + V1ing + C
By the end of
(-) S + will + not + have + been + V1ing + C By the next
For
(?) Will + S + have + been + V1ing + C?

WH Question + will + S + have + been + V1ing+ C?

Who + will + have + been + V1ing + C?

NOMINAL SENTENCE

(+) S + will + have + been + being + C

(-) S + will + not + have + been + being + C

(?) Will + S + have + been + being + C?

WH Question + will + S + have + been + being + C?

Who + will + have + been + being + C?

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza will have been drinking coffee. (+) Raka will have been being happy.
)
(-) Elza won’t have been drinking coffee. (-) Raka won’t have been being happy.
(?) Will Elza have been drinking coffee? (?) Will Raka have been being happy?
What would Elza drink? Why will Raka have been being happy?

14
 Who would drink coffee? Who will have been being happy?
13. Past future tense

 Definition
Past Future Tense is a verb tense that expresses the idea that an action or event will
occur later in time.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
S + would/should + V1 + C (+) S + would/should + be + C
)
(-) S + would/should + not + V1 + C (-) S + would/should + not + be + C
(?) Would/should + S + V1 + C? (?) Would/should + S + be + C?
WH Question + would/should + S + V1 + C? WH Question + would/should + S + be + C?
Who + would/should + V1 + C? Who + would/should + be + C?

Time Signal

Last
Yesterday
At
To

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza would drink coffee.
)
(-) Elza wouldn’t drink coffee.
(?) Would Elza drink coffee?
What would Elza drink?
Who would drink coffee?
NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+) Raka would be happy.
(-) Raka wouldn’t be happy.
(?) Would Raka be happy?
Why would Raka be happy?
Who would be happy?

15
 14. Past future continuous tense

 Definition
The Past Future Continuous Tense is used to indicate continuous or habitual action in
the past that was interrupted by another later action.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE Time Signal

Last
(+) S + would/should + be + V1ing + C
Yesterday
(-) S + would/should + not + be + V1ing + C At
To
(?) Would/should + S + be + V1ing + C?

WH Question + would/should + S + be + V1ing + C?

Who + would/should + be + V1ing + C?

NOMINAL SENTENCE

(+) S + would/should + be + being + C

(-) S + would/should + not + be + being + C

(?) Would/should + S + be + being + C?

WH Question + would/should + S + be + being + C?

Who + would/should + be + being + C?

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
Elza would be drinking coffee. (+) Raka would be being happy.
)
(-) Elza wouldn’t be drinking coffee. (-) Raka wouldn’t be being happy.
(?) Would Elza be drinking coffee? (?) Would Raka be being happy?

16
 What would Elza be drinking? Why would Raka be being happy?
Who would be drinking coffee? Who would be being happy?
15. Past future perfect tense

 Definition
Past Future Perfect tense is a verb tense that is used to express actions that will
happen in the future before something in the past. It is often used as a way to show cause
and effect or a sequence of events.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE Time Signal

Last
(+) S + would/should + have + V3 + C
By
(-) S + would/should + not + have + V3 + C Before
Ago
(?) Would/should + S + have + V3 + C?

WH Question + would/should + S + have + V3 + C?

Who + would/should + have + V3 + C?

NOMINAL SENTENCE

(+) S + would/should + have + been + being + C

(-) S + would/should + not + have + been + being + C

(?) Would/should + S + have + been + being + C?

WH Question + would/should + S + have + been + being + C?

Who + would/should + have + been + being + C?

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE
(+
(+) Elza would have drunk coffee. Raka would have been being happy.
)

17
 (-) Elza wouldn’t have drunk coffee. (-) Raka wouldn’t have been being happy.
(?) Would Elza have drunk coffee? (?) Would Raka have been being happy?
What would Elza have drunk? Why would Raka have been being happy?
Who would have drunk coffee? Who would have been being happy?
16. Past future perfect continuous tense

 Definition
The Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used to show an action that began in the
past and continues up until the present.

 Formula
VERBAL SENTENCE Time Signal

Last
(+) S + would/should + have + been + V1ing + C
By
(-) S + would/should + not + have + been + V1ing + C For
Ago
(?) Would/should + S + have + been + V1ing + C?

WH Question + would/should + S + have + been + V1ing + C?

Who + would/should + have + been + V1ing + C?

NOMINAL SENTENCE

(+) S + would/should + have + been + being + C

(-) S + would/should + not + have + been + being + C

(?) Would/should + S + have + been + being + C?

WH Question + would/should + S + have + been + being + C?

Who + would/should + have + been + being + C?

 Example
VERBAL SENTENCE NOMINAL SENTENCE

18
(+
Elza would have been drinking coffee.
)
(-) Elza wouldn’t have been drinking coffee.
(?) Would Elza have been drinking coffee?
What would Elza have been drinking?
Who would have been drinking coffee?
19
(+) Raka would have been being happy.
(-) Raka wouldn’t have been being happy.
(?) Would Raka have been being happy?
Why would Raka have been being happy?
Who would have been being happy?