TENSES

Present Progressive

Describes what is happening right now or in the extended present (for example,
nowadays, this month, these days, this year)

Simple present tense

Describes what generally happens (but not necessarily right know)

Past progressive (also called the past continuous)

Describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. The action began
before the specific time and may or may not continue after the specific time.

Simple past tense

Describes an action or state that was completed at a specific time in the past

Past progressive (also called the past continuous)

Describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. The action began
before the specific time and may or may not continue after the specific time.

Present perfect

Used to talk about things that happened at an unspecified time in the past.

Present perfect progressive

Shows that an activity is unfinished

Past perfect

Something happened before a specific time in the past

Past perfect progressive (also called past perfect continuous)

Use to talk about an action that was in progress before a specific time in the past. The
progressive emphasizes the process, not the end result.