Time Expressions For All Tenses! English speakers use a variety of time expressions to talk about the past, present, and future. While some of these expressions are universal, others are specific to certain regions or dialects. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most commonly used time expressions in English.
Time Expressions For All Tenses
Past Tense
- Just now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that recently occurred.
- A few minutes ago: This expression is used to describe an event or action that happened a short time ago.
- Earlier this morning/week/month/year: This expression is used to describe an event or action that happened earlier in the day/week/month/year.
- A few weeks ago: This expression is used to describe an event or action that occurred a few weeks ago.
- A few months ago: This expression is used to describe an event or action that occurred a few months ago.
- A few years ago: This expression is used to describe an event or action that occurred a few years ago.
Present Tense
- Right now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that is currently happening.
- In the next few minutes/hours/days: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in the near future.
- This morning/week/month/year: This expression is used to describe an event or action that is happening today/this week/this month/this year.
- A few minutes from now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in a few minutes.
- A few hours from now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in a few hours.
- A few days from now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in a few days.
Future Tense
- In the next few minutes/hours/days: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in the near future.
- This week/month/year: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in the near future.
- A few weeks from now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in a few weeks.
- A few months from now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in a few months.
- A few years from now: This expression is used to describe an event or action that will happen in a few years.
Time Expressions for Present Simple Tense:
- Always
- Every day
- Usually
- Sometimes
- Rarely
Time Expressions for Present Continuous Tense:
- Right now
- At the moment
- Currently
- Today
- Tonight
Time Expressions for Present Perfect Tense:
- Already
- Yet
- Just
- Before
- Recently
Time Expressions for Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
- For 2 hours
- Since this morning
- All day
- The whole week
- The past few months
Time Expressions for Past Simple Tense:
- Yesterday
- Last night
- In 2005
- A week ago
- When I was a child
Time Expressions for Past Continuous Tense:
- While I was studying
- At 9 pm last night
- When it started raining
- When we were eating dinner
- During the movie
Time Expressions for Past Perfect Tense:
- After I had finished my homework
- By the time we arrived
- Already
- Before she left
- By then
Time Expressions for Past Perfect Continuous Tense:
- Had been waiting for an hour
- Had been working since morning
- Had been living there for two years
- Had been talking for hours
- Had been studying all night
Time Expressions for Future Simple Tense:
- Tomorrow
- Next week
- Next year
- In a month
- On Friday
Time Expressions for Future Continuous Tense:
- At 7 pm tomorrow
- While I am sleeping
- This time next week
- For two hours tomorrow
- All day tomorrow
Time Expressions for Future Perfect Tense:
- By the time I arrive
- By next month
- In five years’ time
- When she finishes the project
- Before the end of the year
Time Expressions for Future Perfect Continuous Tense:
- Will have been studying for three hours
- Will have been working for ten hours
- Will have been living there for a year
- Will have been waiting for two hours
- Will have been exercising for an hour
As always, native English speakers have a variety of expressions at their disposal to talk about time. While these expressions are commonly used, they may not be appropriate in all situations. Be sure to use them with caution!
