English Verb Forms: Definition, Types, and Examples

Lesson Overview

• What Are Verb Forms?
• The Five Principal Verb Forms
• Special cases -
• Using Verb Forms in Different Tenses and Aspects

Verb forms are the backbone of English grammar – they determine how we express time, completion, and continuity of actions. Many students struggle with choosing the correct verb form. These choices can change the meaning of a sentence, so it's important to master them. In this lesson, we'll break down everything about verb forms in English. We'll cover the fundamental forms every verb can take, how these forms combine into different tenses (like simple, continuous, and perfect), and when to use each form.

What Are Verb Forms?

In English, each verb can appear in different forms depending on how it's used. Except for the verb "to be," every English verb has five basic forms: the base form, the past tense, the past participle, the present participle, and the third-person singular form. For example, take the verb "laugh" (a regular verb):

• Base form (infinitive): laugh
  
• Past tense: laughed
  
• Past participle: laughed
  
• Present participle: laughing
  
• Third-person singular present: laughs
  

Why so many forms? Each form has a specific job. Some forms show time (past vs. present), some show who is doing the action (I vs. he/she), and some combine with helping verbs to create complex tenses (like the continuous or perfect tenses).

The Five Principal Verb Forms

Let's look at each of the five forms in detail, using examples to illustrate their form and usage.

1. Base Form (Infinitive)

The base form of a verb is its simplest form, with no endings or changes. It's the form you find in the dictionary. For example: run, see, be, play. If you add "to" in front of it, you get the to-infinitive (e.g. to run, to see), but the base form itself is the verb without "to".

How it's used:

• Simple present tense (except third person): We use the base form for present tense with subjects I, you, we, they. "I run five miles every day." (Here run is base form, present tense).
  
  
• Future tense: After the modal "will," we use the base form for future expressions. "She will run a marathon next year." (Base form run shows the action in the future)
  
  
• Imperatives (commands): "Run as fast as you can!" (Base form used to give an order or suggestion).
  
  
• After Modal verbs: Modals like can, should, might, must are followed by the base form. "They can see the stage clearly." Here see stays in base form after can. (Note: In constructions with modals or auxiliaries, do not add -s or -ed to the main verb.)
  

Examples:

• Base form in present: "We go to school on weekdays." (base form go for present habitual action)
  
• Base form with modal: "You should be careful." (the verb phrase "should be" uses be in base form)
  
• Base form in infinitive: "I want to go home." (here to go is an infinitive, which is the base form with "to").
  

Common student question: "Is the base form the same as the infinitive?" – Yes, essentially. The base form is the infinitive without "to". For example, "to eat" is an infinitive, and "eat" is the base form. When we list verb forms, we typically use the base form (without "to"). Just remember not to conjugate it – no endings on the base form.

2. Past Tense (Simple Past) Form

The past tense form (also called simple past) indicates that an action occurred in the past and is usually finished. For regular verbs, the past form is made by adding -d or -ed to the base form. For example, play → played, finish → finished.

For irregular verbs, the past form is unique and must be memorized (there's no one rule – e.g. go → went, buy → bought, cut → cut).

How it's used:

• To describe a completed action or event in the past. "Lizzie adored her puppy." (Loved her puppy at some time in the past).
  
  
• To list a sequence of past events. "He jumped on the bed and broke it." (Two completed actions in order).
  
  
• For past habits or repeated actions (often with adverbs like often, always). "I visited my grandma every weekend when I was a child."
  

3. Past Participle (the "-ed"/third form)

The past participle is often called the third form of the verb (with the base being first, past second). For regular verbs, the past participle looks just like the past tense (base + -ed/-d). For example, clean → cleaned (past), cleaned (past participle).


For irregular verbs, the past participle can be unique (sometimes the same as the past tense, sometimes different). E.g. speak → past spoke, past participle spoken; choose → chose, chosen.

How it's used:

• Perfect tenses: The past participle is used with forms of "have" to create perfect tenses (like present perfect and past perfect). For example, "I have eaten breakfast." (Present perfect) or "She had finished her work." (Past perfect).
  
  
  In these, eaten and finished are past participles following have/has/had. We'll discuss what perfect tenses mean later – essentially they denote completed actions relative to another time.
  
  
• Passive voice: The past participle is used with forms of "be" (am, is, are, was, were, been) or "get" to form the passive voice. For example, "The window was broken by the ball." Here was broken uses broken (past participle of break) with was to indicate the window received the action.
  
  
• Adjective/Participial phrases: Past participles can act as adjectives. For example, "Tired from work, he went to bed early." (tired is a past participle describing "he"). Or "The fallen leaves covered the ground." (fallen acts as adjective). This is more of a sentence structure note – even in these cases, fallen, tired originated as verb forms (fall, tire).
  

Subject Verb Agreement Quiz! Exam

4. Present Participle (–ing form)

The present participle is the -ing form of the verb: running, seeing, being, going, etc. To form it, we generally add -ing to the base form. (There are slight spelling tweaks sometimes: e.g. run → running (double the n), make → making (drop the e), die → dying (change ie to y). This form is also sometimes called the -ing form, and when it functions as a noun, it's known as a gerund.

How it's used:

• Continuous (Progressive) tenses: The present participle is used with forms of "be" (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) to make continuous tenses. "Continuous" tenses show an ongoing action. For example: "We are standing by the door." (are + standing, present continuous) or "I was thinking about her when she called." (was + thinking, past continuous). In these cases standing and thinking are present participles indicating the ongoing nature of the action.
  
  
• Gerunds (verbals): The same -ing form can act like a noun in a sentence, which we call a gerund. For example: "Swimming is great exercise." Here Swimming (an -ing form) is the subject of the sentence, functioning as a noun (the activity of swimming). Even though it's being used as a noun, swimming is still a verb form (present participle of swim). Gerunds often answer "what?" – e.g. "I enjoy reading." (enjoy what? reading). This usage is beyond just tense formation, but it's good to be aware that the -ing form isn't only for continuous tenses; it can play multiple roles.
  
  
• Adjective/Participial phrases: Like past participles, present participles can also act as adjectives or in phrases. "The man standing over there is my uncle." (standing describes "the man"). Or "Being a fast runner, she won the race." (the phrase Being a fast runner describes the subject, she). Here being is a present participle.
  

Why is it called "present" participle if it can be used for past and future?

The term "present participle" can be confusing. It doesn't mean it only describes present time; rather, it's the form of the verb that ends in -ing. We use that same -ing form for continuous actions in the past, present, or future.

For example, past continuous (was running), present continuous (am running), and future continuous (will be running) all use the -ing form. So "present participle" is just naming the form, not the time. It might help to think of it as the "-ing form."

5. Third-Person Singular (Present Simple -s Form)

The third-person singular form is the form a verb takes when the subject is he, she, it, or any singular noun in the present simple tense. For most verbs, you form it by adding -s to the base form. For example: run → runs ("She runs daily."), eat → eats ("It eats grass."). Some verbs require -es or other modifications: if a verb ends in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z, add -es (watch → watches, mix → mixes).


If it ends in a consonant + y, change y to -ies (carry → carries). (If it's vowel + y, just add s: play → plays.) These are spelling rules, but the concept is the same: an -s sound at the end.

Examples:

• "She watches the show every week." – watches (watch + es) is used because she is third person singular.
  
  
• "My friend does his homework after dinner." – does is the third person form of do (note: do → does, adding -es because it ends in o).
  
  
• "The team is working hard on its project." – Here is is the third-person singular present of be (since team is a singular collective noun). In the present continuous is working, is carries the agreement for third person. (Most verbs just add -s, but be is irregular: am/are/is).
  
  
  

Special cases -

• The verb "to be" has unique forms. In present: am (with I), is (with he/she/it), are (with you/we/they). In past: was (with I/he/she/it), were (with you/we/they). Be doesn't follow the normal "add -s" rule (we don't say "he bes" – we use is). It's highly irregular, with eight forms (be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been). Just remember: I am, you/we/they are, he/she/it is for present; I/he/she/it was, you/we/they were for past.
  
  
• The verb "have" is also slightly irregular in present: "he/she/it has" (not "haves"). Past of have is had (which doubles as its past participle).
  
  
• Modal verbs (can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must) do not take an -s in third person. They remain the same for all subjects. e.g. "She can go", not "can goes." (Modals are a special category – more on them later.)
  
  
• Collective nouns (like team, family, government) are singular in American English usage, so we use singular verbs ("The team wins its games."). In British English, these can sometimes be treated as plural (you might hear "the team win their games" in UK sports news). But generally in formal writing, treat them as singular unless you have a specific style to follow. In our quiz example, "Chelsea was winning 2–0 at halftime", the explanation noted that "Chelsea" (the team) is considered a singular collective noun, so was winning (singular) is correct.
  
  

Now that we've covered the five forms (base, past, past participle, -ing, -s form) and their basic uses, let's see how these forms work together to create different tenses and aspects in English.

Using Verb Forms in Different Tenses and Aspects

English verb tenses are built by combining the above forms with helper verbs (like forms of be and have). The main tenses are usually grouped by time (present, past, future) and aspect (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous).

Simple Tenses

Simple tenses use a single verb form (one word, aside from will) to indicate an action at a point in time. They don't explicitly show ongoing action or completion relative to another timeframe – they're the straightforward forms.

• Simple Present: Uses the base form (add -s for third person singular as discussed). Use it for facts, habits, routines, and general truths.
  
  
  • Examples: I walk to school every day. (walk is base form) / She walks to school. (walks has -s for "she").
    
    
  • Use it also for scheduled events (often with future meaning): "The train leaves at 6pm tonight." (present tense conveying a future timetable).
    
    
• Simple Past: Uses the past tense form of the verb. It places an action or state at a specific time in the past (often implied or stated).
  
  
  • Examples: I walked to school yesterday. / He went home early last night.
    
    
  • In narrative, simple past is used to list events: "She opened the door, looked inside, and found the cat." (sequence of actions all in simple past).
    
    
• Simple Future: In English, the future is typically formed with will + [base form] (or sometimes shall, or the phrasal form "going to", but let's focus on will). We use this to talk about things that haven't happened yet.
  
  
  • Examples: I will walk to school tomorrow. / He will go home later.
    
    
  • Another common future construction is "going to" + base form: "I am going to walk to school." This is used for planned futures or inevitable events. It still uses the present participle going plus the infinitive to walk – essentially a present tense construction with future meaning. Both "will" and "going to" are correct for future; context and nuance decide which to use.
    
    

Common question: "There is no special future verb form (like no unique ending for future); is that correct?" – Yes. English indicates the future with helper words (like will, shall, going to). Unlike some languages, we don't have a unique suffix on the verb for future. So think of "will" as the future marker. Once you add will, the main verb stays in base form.

Third Form of Verbs Quiz!

Continuous Tenses

Continuous tenses (also called progressive tenses) use a form of be + present participle (-ing) to show that an action is/was/will be in progress (ongoing) at a certain time.

• Present Continuous (Present Progressive): Formed with am / is / are + [verb]-ing. Use it for actions happening right now or around now, or for temporary situations. Also used for near-future plans.
  
  
• Past Continuous (Past Progressive): Formed with was / were + [verb]-ing. It describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past, or when another action occurred.
  
  
  • Examples: I was eating dinner at 7 PM last night. (at that time, the action was ongoing) / She was studying when I called. (the studying was happening when the call interrupted) / They were still working at midnight. (ongoing action at a past time)
    
    
  • Often used with a simple past action to show the contrast: what was happening vs. what happened. e.g. "I was taking a shower when the phone rang." Ongoing action was taking a shower got interrupted by phone rang (simple past event).
    
    
• Future Continuous: Formed with will be + [verb]-ing. It describes an action that will be in progress at a certain time in the future.
  
  
  • Examples: I will be eating dinner at 7 PM tomorrow. (At 7 PM future time, the action will be ongoing) / She will be studying when you arrive, so please be quiet. (We predict her studying will be in progress at the moment in the future when you come).
    
    
  • It's often used to set a scene in the future or to indicate something will happen as a matter of course. It's less commonly needed by beginners, but it exists for completeness.

Perfect Tenses

Perfect tenses use a form of have + [past participle]. The word "perfect" in grammar means "completed" (think "perfected"). These tenses often link two time periods or indicate that one thing is complete before another or by a certain time.

• Present Perfect: Formed with have / has + [past participle]. Use it to talk about:
  
  
• Example: "She has finished her exam." – This implies the exam is over (completed in the recent past), and now perhaps she is free or the result is that she's done. Compare to simple past "She finished her exam (yesterday at 2pm)." – that just states a past fact at a time. The present perfect "has finished" focuses on the completed result now.
  
  
• Past Perfect: Formed with had + [past participle]. We use this to show an action that was completed before another past action or time. Essentially, when telling a story or recounting events, the past perfect takes you one step further back in the past relative to the main narrative.
  
  
  
  • Example: "By the time I arrived, the movie had started." – First the movie started, later I arrived. Using had started makes it clear the starting happened prior to my arrival. If I said "the movie started when I arrived," it implies they happened around the same time, which is not the case here.
  
  
  
• Future Perfect: Formed with will have + [past participle]. It's used for an action that will be completed before a certain future time or event.
  
  
  • Example: "By tomorrow morning, I will have finished my project." – I'm saying that at some point between now and tomorrow morning, this task will be completed; when we check in the morning, it will be done (in the past relative to that future moment).
    
    
  • Another: "She will have left by the time you arrive next week." – meaning, her leaving will be complete before your arrival (both events are in the future from now, but one will happen earlier than the other).
    
    
  • This tense is less commonly used in everyday conversation, but it appears in formal writing or plans/deadlines. It can be thought of as projecting yourself to the future and looking back at something that will be past at that point.
    

Forms of Verbs Quiz: Perfect Your Verb Usage Today!

Perfect Continuous Tenses

These combine the ideas of continuous and perfect – something ongoing up to a point. They are formed with have/has/had + been + [verb]-ing.

• Present Perfect Continuous:has/have been + -ing. It's used for an action that began in the past and is still continuing now, or that recently stopped but had duration. It often answers "How long…?" for an ongoing action.
  
  
  • Example: "I have been waiting for 30 minutes." (I started waiting 30 minutes ago and I'm still waiting now).
    
    
• Past Perfect Continuous: had been + -ing. This indicates an action that was ongoing up until a certain point in the past, often for some duration, and then ended at that point (or just before it).
  
  
  • Example: "They had been traveling for 24 hours when they finally arrived." – This means prior to arriving (a past event), they were in the process of traveling for 24 hours.
    
    
• Future Perfect Continuous: will have been + -ing. It's used for an action that will be ongoing up until a certain future point, emphasizing duration.
  
  
  • Example: "By next July, I will have been working at this company for 10 years." – This means when July comes, it will mark 10 years of continuous work (starting 10 years before and continuing through to that future point).
    
    

Mastering verb forms takes practice, but understanding the logic behind them makes it much easier. We learned that every verb has a set of forms (base, -s, -ing, past, past participle) and each plays a role in building tenses. Simple tenses handle basic time (present/past/future as points), continuous tenses paint a picture of actions in progress, perfect tenses connect actions across time (completed before another time), and perfect continuous tenses show ongoing actions up to a point.