You already know simple and continuous tenses. Now meet the PERFECT tenses — for an action that is complete by a certain point, whether that point is now, an earlier moment in the past, or a future deadline.
Simple tenses state a fact or habit. Continuous tenses show an action still in progress.
She plays. She played. She will play.
She is playing. She was playing. She will be playing.
"Perfect" here means COMPLETED — by now, by an earlier time, or by a future deadline.
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | She has finished her work. |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | She had finished before he arrived. |
| Future Perfect | will have + V3 | She will have finished by 5 pm. |
A specific finished time (yesterday, last week) needs simple past. No time given, or it still matters now? Use present perfect.
12 IEO-style questions on tenses. 🍀