Haw many tenses are there in the English language?

[abumashal]

I have two inquiries, please: first how many tenses in the English language? Second I want to know what is the correct names of these tenses? Because I have seen different names in some books for example, simple future and future simple.
Thank you.

[Torsten]

How about if try answering your questions together?
Let's start with a tense called Simple Present. I'm sure you have heard of this tense. Can you make a sample sentence in simple present?
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[abumashal]

I am glad to thank you about this important site that will help me and others to get answers of many question.
Second, I am happy of your idea about my question. So, I'm going to write all the tenses, that I have studied, with examples. Let's take the verb "Play" for example:

1- Past Simple = I played.
2- Past continuous = I was playing.
3- Past Perfect = I had played.
4- Past Perfect Continuous = I had been playing.
5- Present Simple = I play.
6- Present continuous = I am playing.
7- Present Perfect = I have played.
8- Present Perfect Continuous = I have been playing.
9- Future simple = I will play.
10- Future continuous = I will be playing.
11- Future Perfect = I will have played.
12- Future Perfect Continuous = I will have been played.

These are tenses that I have studied already.
I would like to know if there is something more, please.

[Torsten]

These are the tenses in the active voice. What you could do now is create sentences in all the tenses in the passive voice. (where possible). For example: The house was built.
Also, if you like you can review the conditionals and write sample sentences. For example: If I practise my English very day I will improve my skills tremendously.
Let me know what you think.
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Alan]

Hi Abumashal,
If you want, you can look at the piece I've written under the heading ESL Lessons on the site called Progressive forms and a story titled Going, going ,gone. I have tried to include all the progressive/continuous forms in this story and as you probably know, each continuous form has a so-called simple form so you could get counting using this information.
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Have a Break!

[abumashal]

Thank you both of taking my questions into consideration. But I am sorry of being absent of these four days, because I intend to travel to Riyadh to present the Second International Symposium at King Faisal School.

Thank you Torsten of your idea that enthusing me to practice my English.
Tank you Alan about the lesson, I have copied the lesson to my computer to read and learn it.

[Narayanan Krishnaswamy]

Tenses

In English, there are just two tenses. The present and the past. They have different forms to suit the needs.
The infinitive, 'to write’ has two distinct forms- write and wrote, the present and the past. There is no word for the future. It is created through a combination of the basic form with an auxiliary- ‘will’ - will write.
It may be because the present, we experience; the past is verifiable; but the future may not come true. So the language is using a combination to express uncertainty.
It may also be because the future is based on the present actions, it is a combination of ‘will’ with the basic form, which is also used to express the present.
Why don’t you look at the following?
Tomorrow will be a holiday.
Tomorrow is a holiday.

[Alan]

Of course you are right in saying that there are technically only two tenses but I don't think that comment is much use to someone learning English presented with a bewildering display of forms such as: I have taught/I have been teaching/I shall have taught/I had been teaching and so on. That's why I replied to the questioner earlier and referred to forms rather than tenses and gave my story as an illustration because I believed that was the point of the question. In your mantra at the end of each of your replies you mention that you have taught English for 35 years and so I am a little surprised at the wording of this part: have great interest in trying to solve difficult language doubts.
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Sea Expressions

[Guest]

I have been returned.
I hope that you are OK and in a good health. I am very pleasant to share you again.
Thank you Narayanan Krishnaswamy for joining and supplying us these new information and I hope we benefit together from Alan and Torsten.

Let me know if my post grammatically and linguistically is correct.

[Narayanan Krishnaswamy]

Hi!
Thanks for the concern. I hope you also keep good health after all these enquiries into English grammar. You language will become good, if you take some more care.

About the sentence:Let me know if my post grammatically and linguistically is correct- Just place the verb after post and it will become a good sentence.--Let me know if my post is grammatically and linguistically correct.
'grammatically--- ' are adj.s to 'correct', and 'is' the 'to be' verb requiruing a completion.
He is ----
He is a doctor.
He is a good doctor.
He is a busy doctor.
The form of the sentence is 'S+V+C.

my post is grammatically and linguistically correct

my post -- Subject
is --- Verb -be
grammatically and logically correct-- complement.
Let us continue later after getting other's views.

[frank]

Aside from the tenses, we also have to consider other aspects of the verb like mood: indicative, subjunctive, conditional and imperative. The tenses are simply under the indicative mood. Also, the forms like gerund, participle, and infinitive.