Mastering British English Tenses: The Ultimate Guide
- Claire Hayward
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
British English, like all varieties of English, relies on a precise system of verb tenses to convey time, intention, and nuance. Whether you're preparing for exams like IELTS, writing academic papers, or simply looking to speak more naturally, understanding how tenses work is essential. In this comprehensive guide, we'll go through the key tenses used in British English, complete with examples and tips to master them.
Overview of British English Tenses
There are three main tenses we use:
Past
Present
Future
These tell us when an action happened in the past, what action is happening now in the present or when an action will happen in the future.
Each of these tenses has another aspect which details the action more specifically. These are:
Simple
Continuous (sometimes called progressive)
Perfect
Perfect continuous
These aspects have specific uses and structures for the sentences.
12 British English Tenses
Present Tenses
Present simple
Uses - habits. Usually used with an adverb of frequency or time related phrase that shows regularity.
Structure - root verb (infinitive verb)
Examples - I brush my teeth everyday. We go to the cinema every weekend.
Present continuous
Uses - happening now.
Structure - am, is, are + verb-ing
Examples - She is cooking at the moment. We are watching a film now. I am working.
Present perfect
Uses - to show an action started in the past and is continuing in the present, or just finished recently. Focuses on the result of an action. It is common to use words like since, for, recently, just with present perfect.
Structure - have/has + past participle (verb 3)
Examples - I have just eaten. We have visited many museums. He has travelled to Spain.
Present perfect continuous
Uses - to show an action started in the past and is continuing in the present, or just finished recently. Focuses on the action/activity.
Structure - have/has + been + verb-ing.
Examples - We have been going to this restaurant for years. I have been reading a brilliant book. She has been cooking for a while.
Past Tenses
Past simple
Uses - to show an action happened at one time/certain time in the past.
Structure - uses regular or irregular past form of verbs. I.e. went, spent, had, played, changed.
Examples - We ate pizza last night. They went to school yesterday. I travelled to France last year.
Past continuous
Uses - to show an action was in progress at a time in the past.
Structure - was/were + verb-ing.
Examples - I was helping my dad last week. We were walking along the road when a car crashed.
Past perfect
Uses - to show an action happened in the past earlier than another action in the past.
Structure - had + past participle (verb3 ) This structure shows the earlier action so no need to be more detailed.
Examples - When I got to the shop I realised I had left my money at home. We had walked all around the city looking for a good restaurant before finding a beautiful Italian restaurant.
Past perfect continuous
Uses - shows an action in progress that happened earlier than another action in the past.
Structure - had + been + verb-ing.
Examples - I had been studying for hours before the exam. She was tired because she had been running around the park all morning.
Future Tenses
Future simple
Uses - to talk about actions which have not happened yet. Also, used to show spontaneous actions in the future. Usually we use future time related phrases with 'will'. I.e. tomorrow, next week, next year. It's also common to contract to make 'I'll' or 'she'll', etc.
Structure - will + infinitive verb
Examples - I'll go to work early tomorrow. He'll visit his grandparents next weekend.
Going to
Uses - to talk about plans and events in the future.
Structure - am, is, are + going to + infinitive verb
Examples - We are going on holiday next week. I am going to buy milk from the shop.
Future continuous
Uses - to show an action in progress in the future at a certain time.
Structure - will + be + verb-ing
Examples - She will be riding her bike to work next week. We'll be cutting the grass again next year.
Future perfect
Uses - an action will be completed before another action in the future. Time related phrases are common, such as, by this time next month, by the end of the year, etc.
Structure - will + have + past participle (verb 3)
Examples - By the end of the year, I will have finished my project. This time next week, I will have completed all my exams.
Future perfect continuous
Uses - to show an action in progress in the future up to a certain time. Time related phrases are common.
Structure - will + have + been + verb-ing.
Examples - I will have been teaching for 40 years by the time I retire. By 2pm this afternoon, we will have been walking for over 4 hours.
Common Mistakes
Mixing up perfect and simple tenses. Perfect tenses tend to show a progression through time for actions that have happened longer, whereas simple tenses tend to show one moment in a specific time.
Misusing stative verbs in continuous forms. Stative verbs are not usually used in continuous tenses, in continuous tenses try to use action verbs instead. One common exception to this rule is 'feel', 'I am not feeling well' is a perfectly good sentence to use.
Overusing "will" for future intentions. Try to use 'going to' or 'future continuous' depending on what kind of action it is, if it is spontaneous or planned.
Some British and American usages are slightly different. For example, the British tend to use present perfect with words like just, recently, lately, whereas Americans tend to use past simple instead.
Tips for Mastering British English Tenses
Practice activities (e.g., journaling, tense transformation exercises) - these activities are great for practising tenses because they give you so many examples and some of them you could probably relate to your own experience. They are also good for remembering, check your answers and concentrate on the incorrect answers and understand why they are wrong so you know how to correct it in the future.
Watch/listen to British media (BBC, British podcasts) - Try to listen to as much British media as possible. The more you can immerse yourself into the language, the more you can hear correct grammar, how stories are retold using which tenses and this can be a massive help to practising good communication with others. Try listening to a podcast, then tell someone about what you heard and learned from the hosts.
Use of grammar apps/tools - use tools like Grammarly to check your grammar, this is useful for important communication. There are other apps such as Duolingo or Quizlet where you can test and improve your knowledge on tenses.
Remember, keep practising and don't give up. The more you can be consistent and practise little and often, the quicker you can process the information and remember what you have learned. Try to use a mixture of the tips above to keep your motivation high. Tense accuracy is essential if you want to communicate successfully. If you would like help with improving your tense knowledge, book a free trial with a native British tutor.
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