Simple Verb Tenses: Past, Present, and Future

Imagine you want to tell a friend about your soccer game. Did it already happen? Is it happening right now? Or will it happen tomorrow? Verb tenses are the way we change a verb — an action word — to show when something takes place. Without tenses, nobody would know if you are talking about the past, the present, or the future!

People have been using verb tenses for thousands of years. Here are some fun moments in the story of how language grew.

So here's the big question this lesson answers: How do you form each simple tense, and how do you pick the right one? Let's find out!

A verb is a word that shows an action or a state of being. Words like run, jump, think, and is are all verbs. When we change a verb to show time, we call that change a tense. There are three simple tenses you need to know.

Let's see all three tenses on one picture. The timeline below shows the past on the left, the present in the middle, and the future on the right. Notice how the verb changes at each point!

See how the verb walk changes? In the past, we add -ed to get walked. In the present, we keep the base word walk. In the future, we put the word will in front to get will walk. That's all there is to it!

Let's look at the rules for building each simple tense. We will use the verb play as our example.

Most verbs form the past tense by adding -ed to the end. If the verb already ends in the letter e, you just add -d (like bake → baked). Some verbs are irregular, which means they change in a special way. For example, run becomes ran, not runned. You will learn more irregular verbs over time!

The present tense usually keeps the verb in its base form. The one thing to remember is that when the subject is he, she, or it, you add -s or -es to the end of the verb. So we say "I play" but "she plays."

The future tense is the easiest one! You just put the word will before the base verb. The verb itself does not change at all. No matter who the subject is — I, you, he, she, we, or they — you always say will play.

Use this flowchart like a helper. Whenever you write a sentence, ask yourself: "When does this happen?" If it already happened, go left. If it's happening now, stay in the middle. If it hasn't happened yet, go to the right.

Here is a handy chart that shows how several common verbs change across all three tenses. Look at the patterns!

Do you see the pattern? Most verbs just add -ed for the past. But the last two verbs in the chart have a ⚡ symbol. Those are irregular verbs — they don't follow the -ed rule. Run becomes ran, and eat becomes ate. You'll learn lots of irregular verbs as you keep reading and writing!

Let's walk through a problem step by step. Ready?

Even great writers make mistakes with verb tenses sometimes. Let's look at the most common ones so you can avoid them.

Now that you know the three simple tenses, you might be wondering: is that all there is? Actually, there are more tenses you'll learn as you grow! Here's a sneak peek.

The progressive tenses use words like am, was, and will be along with the -ing form of the verb. They show that something is or was happening over a period of time. But don't worry about those just yet — you'll learn them in 4th grade and beyond! For now, being a master of the three simple tenses is exactly what you need. 🌟

Time to try it yourself! Click "Show Answer" after you think of your answer.