Perfect Progressive Tenses
What Are the Perfect Progressive Tenses?
The perfect progressive tense is a category of verb tense used to mark the end of an ongoing action. It covers the past perfect progressive tense, the present prefect progressive tense, and the future perfect progressive tense.Of note, the past perfect progressive tense and the future perfect progressive tense are used to mark the end of an ongoing action. However, present perfect progressive tense is used for actions that began in the past and continue into the present.
Table of Contents
- Examples of Verbs in the Perfect Progressive Tense
- Forming the Perfect Progressive Tenses
- Verb Tenses Showing the Perfect Progressive Tenses
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- The Perfect Progressive Aspect
- Why Perfect Progressive Tenses Are Important
- Test Time!
The Past Perfect Progressive Tense
- I had been going.
- He had been seeing.
The Present Perfect Progressive Tense
- I have been going.
- He has been seeing.
The Future Perfect Progressive Tense
- I will have been going.
- He will have been seeing.
Examples of Verbs in the Perfect Progressive Tenses
The perfect progressive tenses are recognizable by the word "have" (in one of its forms), "been," and a present participle (i.e., the word that ends "-ing"). Here are some examples of verbs in the perfect progressive tenses.In the Past Tense
- He had been writing. (past perfect progressive tense)
- They had been filming. (past perfect progressive tense)
In the Present Tense
- She has been dancing. (present perfect progressive tense)
- They have been running. (present perfect progressive tense)
In the Future Tense
- He will have been flying. (future perfect progressive tense)
- They will have been acting. (future perfect progressive tense)
Forming the Perfect Progressive Tenses
The perfect progressive tenses are formed using a form of the auxiliary verb "to have," "been," and the present participle. For example:Forming The Past Perfect Progressive Tense
- They had been meeting.
Forming The Present Perfect Progressive Tense
- He has been swimming.
- They have been playing.
Forming The Future Perfect Progressive Tense
- They will have been plotting.
Verb Tenses Showing the Perfect Progressive Tenses
Here are the 12 tenses again. This time, the tenses are ordered under the headings past tense, present tense, and future tense. The perfect progressive tenses are shaded in yellow.The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
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simple past tense | I went |
past progressive tense | I was going |
past perfect tense | I had gone |
past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
simple present tense | I go |
present progressive tense | I am going |
present perfect tense | I have gone |
present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
simple future tense | I will go |
future progressive tense | I will be going |
future perfect tense | I will have gone |
future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going |
Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
The tables below show all 12 tenses so you can see the perfect progressive tenses among the other tenses. (You can change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)Top 10 Regular Verbs
Top 10 Irregular Verbs
All 4 Past Tenses
Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
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The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
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The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
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The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
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The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
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All 4 Present Tenses
Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
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The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
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The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
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The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
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The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
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All 4 Future Tenses
Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
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The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
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The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
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The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
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The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
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The Perfect Progressive Aspect
The term perfect progressive aspect is used to group all verbs (past, present, and future) in the perfect progressive tenses. (Remember that the aspect of a verb is determined by whether its action is ongoing or completed.)Why Perfect Progressive Tenses Are Important
If you're learning or teaching English, you must spend time learning the tenses because expressing when something occurs is a fundamental skill when communicating. Remember that tenses do not just state whether an action is a past, present, or future one. Tenses also state whether an action is habitual, completed, or ongoing. (These are called the aspects of the tenses.).Here's a good tip to help you with mastering the tenses: Concentrate on 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., dancing, knowing, eating)
- Past participles (e.g., danced, known, eaten)
Key Points
- Learning or teaching English? Get your head in those verb tables. Good luck!
Learning Resources
play:
drag-n-drop game on verb tenseslists:
top 10 regular verbs top 10 irregular verbs top 100 verbs in English to be to have to domore actions:
Test Time!
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