What Are the Perfect Tenses?

(with Examples)
Perfect tense is a category of verb tense used to describe past perfect tense I had gone
completed actions. It covers the past perfect tense,
the present perfect tense, and the future perfect tense. It is
sometimes called the complete tense. past perfect progressive tense I had been going

The 4 Present Tenses Example

Examples of Verbs in a Perfect Tense
Here are some examples of verbs in a perfect tense:

The Past Perfect Tense simple present tense I go

 I had gone.
 He had seen.
present progressive tense I am going
The Present Perfect Tense
 I have gone.
 He has seen. present perfect tense I have gone
The Future Perfect Tense
 I will have gone.
 He will have seen. present perfect progressive I have been going
tense

Forming the Perfect Tenses The 4 Future Tenses Example

The perfect tenses are formed using a form of
the auxiliary verb "to have" and the past participle. For
example:
simple future tense I will go
Forming the Past Perfect Tense
"had"
 +  future progressive tense I will be going
[past participle]
 He had spoken.
Forming the Present Perfect Tense future perfect tense I will have gone
"has" or "have"
 + 
[past participle] future perfect progressive I will have been
 She has spoken. tense going
 They have spoken.
Forming the Future Perfect Tense
"will have"
 + 
[past participle] Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
 He will have spoken.
The tables below show all 12 tenses so you can see
the perfect tenses among the other tenses. (You can
change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)
The Perfect Tenses in the Past, Present, and Future
Here are the 12 tenses again. This time, the tenses are
ordered under the headings past tense, present tense, Top 10 Regular Verbs
and future tense. The perfect (or complete) tenses are          
shaded in yellow.

The 4 Past Tenses Example Top 10 Irregular Verbs

         

simple past tense I went

All 4 Past Tenses

past progressive tense I was going Pers Sim Past Past Past
 Perf Perfect
Progres
ple ect Progres
on sive
Past Tens sive sees is seeing has seen has
Tense
e Tense been seeing

 I saw was seeing had seen had

 you been seeing see are seeing have seen
 he/she/it have
 we been seeing
 you saw were seeing had seen
had see are seeing have seen
 they
been seeing
have
saw was seeing had seen been seeing
see are seeing have seen
had
been seeing
saw were seeing had seen have
The simple The present The present been seeing
present progressive perfect
had tense is tense is for an tense is for
saw were seeing had seen been seeing mostly for ongoing an action
a fact or a action in the that began The present
habit. present. in the past. perfect
(Often, the progressive
had action tense is for a
saw were seeing had seen continues continuous
been seeing
into the activity that
present.) began in the
past and
The simpl The past The past continues into
e past progressive perfect had the present
tense is for tense is for an tense is for been seeing (or finished
a ongoing emphasizin very
completed activity in the g that an recently).
activity past. Often, it action was
that is used to set completed The past
happened the scene for before perfect All 4 Future Tenses
in the past. another another progressive
action. took place. tense is for
showing that Futu
Future
an ongoing Sim Future re
Perfect
action in the Pers ple Progres Perf
Progres
past has on Fut sive ect
sive
ended. ure Tense Tens
Tense
e

All 4 Present Tenses  I will see will be seeing will will have

 you have seen been seeing
Prese  he/she/it
Present
Sim Present nt
Perfect
 we
Pers ple Progre Perfe
Progre  you will see will be seeing
on Pres ssive ct will will have
ssive  they
ent Tense Tens have seen been seeing
Tense
e
will see will be seeing
 I see am seeing have seen have
 you been seeing will will have
 he/she/it have seen been seeing
 we will see will be seeing
 you see are seeing have seen
have
 they will will have
been seeing
 will see will be seeing have seen been seeing
will see will be seeing will will have
have seen been seeing
The simpl The future
e future progressive will will have
tense is for tense is for an have seen been seeing
an action ongoing
that will action that
occur in will occur in
the future. the future. The future The future
perfect perfect
tense is for progressive
an action tense is for an
that will ongoing
have been action that
completed will be
at some completed at
point in some
the future. specified time
in the future.
The Perfect Aspect
The term perfect aspect is used to group all verbs (past,
present, and future) in the perfect tenses. (Remember that
the aspect of a verb is determined by whether its action is
ongoing or completed.)Read more about aspect.
Why Perfect Tenses Are Important
Native English speakers can use all twelve tenses without
giving the grammar a second thought. However, if you're
learning or teaching English, you must spend time
learning the tenses because expressing when something
occurs is a fundamental communication skill. Remember
though that tenses do not just tell us whether something
is a past, present, or future action. They also tell us
whether the action is habitual, completed, or ongoing
(called the aspects).
The trick to learning tenses is mastering the following:
 The verb "to be" in all its forms
(am, is, are, was, were, will be)
 The verb "to have" in all its forms
(has, have, had, will have)
 Present participles, i.e., the "ing" form
of verbs
(e.g., playing, thinking, eating)
 Past
participles (e.g., played, thought, eaten
)
Key Points
 Learning or teaching English? Get
your head in those verb tables!
 The past perfect tense is a particularly
common tense. So, if you're
prioritizing your learning of tenses,
make sure that tense is among the first
ones you learn. Good luck.