英语里面一共有十六种时态，是四个“时”（现在时、过去时、将来时、过去将来时）与四个“态”（一般式、进行式、完成式、完成进行式）对应组合而成，如下所示：
一般现在时I do
现在进行时I'm doing
现在完成时I have done
现在完成进行时I have been doing
一般过去时I did
过去进行时I was doing
过去完成时I had done
过去完成进行时I had been doing
一般将来时I will do
将来进行时I will be doing
将来完成时I will have done
将来完成进行时I will have been doing
过去将来时I would do
过去将来进行时I would be doing
过去将来完成时I would have done
过去将来完成进行时I would have been doing
1.一般现在时，表示经常或习惯性的动作。如：He gets up at 6 every day.
2.一般过去时，表示过去的动作。如：But he got up at 7 this morning.
3.一般将来时，表示将要发生的动作。如：He will get up at 5 tomorrow.
4.一般过去将来时，表示从过去看将要发生的动作。如：He said that he would get up at
5.
5.现在进行时，表示正在进行的动作。如：He is having breakfast.
6.过去进行时，表示过去某一时间正在进行的动作。如：When Father came back home, I was doing my homework.
7.将来进行时，表示将来某一时间正在进行的动作。如：Don't come at 8. I will be having a meeting then.
8.过去将来进行时，表示从过去某一时间看，将要进行的动作。如：He asked me not to come at 8 because he would be having a meeting then.
9.现在完成时，表示到说话时已经完成的动作。如：I have finished my homework.
10.过去完成时，表示过去某一时间说话前已经完成的动作。如：He said that he had finished his homework.
11.将来完成时，表示将来某个时间点之前将要完成的动作。如：We will have finished Book One by the end of this term.
12.过去将来完成时，表示从过去某个时间看，将要在过去另一个时间点之前完成的动作。如：They said that they would have finished Book One by the end of that term.
13.现在完成进行时，表示从过去某一时间开始，一直持续到现在的动作。如：I have been reading for 5 hours.
14.过去完成进行时，表示从过去某一时间开始到过去另一个时间一直在持续的动作。如：He said that he had been reading for 5 hours.
15.将来完成进行时，表示一个动作从过去某个时间开始，一直持续到未来的另一个时间。I shall have been reading for 5 hours by 8 o'clock in the evening.
16.过去将来完成进行时，表示一个动作从过去的过去开始，一直持续到过去的将来。如：He said that he would have been reading for 5 hours by 8'clock that evening.
