ENGLISH TENSES

Tempos verbais em inglês: guia completo com exemplos

O inglês tem 12 tempos verbais formados por três planos temporais (presente, passado, futuro) e quatro aspectos (simples, contínuo, perfeito, perfeito contínuo). Este guia mostra cada tempo em ação: sua forma, significado e um exemplo natural. Pesquise ou filtre por grupo de tempos para focar seu estudo.

48 items · 6 topics

Presente simples

"I work from home every day."

Routine or habitual action in the present

"She drinks coffee every morning before checking her emails."

Presente simples

"Water boils at 100 °C."

Scientific fact or permanent truth

"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west."

Presente simples

"The train leaves at 9 am."

Fixed timetable or scheduled event

"The meeting starts at two o'clock sharp."

Presente simples

"I live in London."

Permanent state or situation

"He works as a software engineer at a tech startup."

Presente simples

"She always forgets her keys."

Habitual tendency, often with frequency adverb

"They never eat meat — they've been vegetarian for years."

Presente simples

"Do you speak French?"

Question about ability or habit

"Does he understand the instructions?"

Presente simples

"He doesn't like spicy food."

Negative present habit or preference

"We don't go to the gym on weekdays."

Presente simples

"The hero escapes and saves the day."

Historical present used in storytelling

"Shakespeare writes about love, power, and betrayal."

Presente contínuo

"I am studying for my exam right now."

Action happening at the moment of speaking

"She is talking on the phone — I'll ask her to call you back."

Presente contínuo

"They are building a new hospital nearby."

Ongoing action around the current period

"We are developing a new feature for the app this sprint."

Presente contínuo

"I am meeting the client tomorrow."

Arranged future plan (near future)

"She is flying to Tokyo next Thursday for the conference."

Presente contínuo

"He is always interrupting me!"

Annoying repeated behaviour (with "always")

"You are constantly checking your phone during dinner!"

Presente contínuo

"The climate is getting warmer every year."

Changing or developing situation

"More and more people are working remotely these days."

Presente contínuo

"Are you enjoying the course?"

Question about ongoing or temporary experience

"Is she still living with her parents while she saves up?"

Presente contínuo

"I am not feeling well today."

Temporary state (some stative verbs used here informally)

"He is not sleeping properly since he started night shifts."

Presente contínuo

"We are having dinner with friends tonight."

Fixed social arrangement in the near future

"They are celebrating their anniversary at a restaurant on Friday."

Passado simples

"She graduated from university in 2018."

Completed action at a specific past time

"He moved to Berlin three years ago and never looked back."

Passado simples

"I worked there for five years."

Past state or situation that is now finished

"They lived in Paris for a decade before returning home."

Passado simples

"Did you call the doctor?"

Question about a past event

"Did she finish the report before the deadline?"

Passado simples

"He didn't say anything."

Negative past action

"We didn't know about the meeting until this morning."

Passado simples

"Every summer we camped by the lake."

Past habit or repeated action (no longer happening)

"As a child she always wore her grandmother's old coat."

Passado simples

"The earthquake struck at dawn."

Single historical event at a known time

"The company launched its first product in 2010."

Passado simples

"I saw him as I was leaving the office."

Short action interrupting a longer past action

"She dropped her phone just as she stepped onto the bus."

Passado simples

"Once upon a time, a young king ruled a small kingdom."

Narrative past in stories and anecdotes

"Last night I dreamed I was flying over the city."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"I have visited Japan twice."

Life experience without specifying when

"She has never tried sushi despite living near a Japanese restaurant."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"He has just sent the email."

Very recent action with present relevance

"The team has just finished the final round of testing."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"Have you ever lived abroad?"

Question about life experience up to now

"Has she ever performed in front of a live audience?"

Pretérito perfeito composto

"I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Action that has not happened yet up to now

"We haven't received any feedback from the client yet."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"She has worked here for ten years."

State or action that started in the past and continues now

"They have been married since 1995 and are still together."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"The prices have risen sharply this month."

Change or development up to the present

"His English has improved dramatically over the last six months."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"I've already finished the homework."

Completed action before an expected time

"She has already applied to five universities."

Pretérito perfeito composto

"Something has happened — he looks pale."

Unspecified past event with a visible present result

"Someone has moved my laptop — it's not where I left it."

Futuro

"I will call you when I arrive."

Spontaneous decision or promise made at the moment of speaking

"Don't worry, I'll help you move the furniture tomorrow."

Futuro

"She is going to study medicine."

Intention or plan already decided before speaking

"They are going to renovate the apartment this spring."

Futuro

"The sun will rise at 6:14 am tomorrow."

Certain future fact or prediction based on knowledge

"Experts predict that AI will transform most industries within a decade."

Futuro

"He is presenting the results on Friday."

Arranged future event (present continuous for future)

"We are launching the new product line at the trade fair next week."

Futuro

"Look at those clouds — it's going to rain."

Prediction based on present evidence

"He's going to win — his preparation has been exceptional."

Futuro

"By 2030, scientists will have mapped the entire ocean floor."

Action completed before a future point (future perfect)

"She will have graduated by the time her parents arrive for the ceremony."

Futuro

"This time next year I will be living in New York."

Action in progress at a specific future time (future continuous)

"At midnight they will be celebrating the new year in Times Square."

Futuro

"I'll have been working here for 20 years next June."

Duration of an action up to a specific future moment

"By the end of the month, she will have been learning Spanish for two years."

Contínuo e perfeito

"I have been waiting for an hour."

Action that started in the past and is still continuing now (present perfect continuous)

"She has been studying for three hours and still isn't finished."

Contínuo e perfeito

"He was writing the report when the power cut."

Ongoing past action interrupted by another event (past continuous)

"They were watching a film when the doorbell rang."

Contínuo e perfeito

"She had been crying before we arrived."

Ongoing action before another past event with visible result (past perfect continuous)

"He had been working non-stop for 14 hours before he finally collapsed."

Contínuo e perfeito

"They had already left when I got there."

Action completed before another past event (past perfect simple)

"By the time the ambulance arrived, she had already regained consciousness."

Contínuo e perfeito

"I have been living here since 2010."

Continuous state or action emphasising duration up to now

"We have been trying to reach them all day with no response."

Contínuo e perfeito

"It had been raining all week so the river flooded."

Prolonged past action explaining a past situation

"She had been practising the speech for weeks, so she delivered it flawlessly."

Contínuo e perfeito

"The road was being repaired, so we took a detour."

Passive continuous — ongoing past action (past continuous passive)

"The bridge is being inspected this week, so all traffic is diverted."

Contínuo e perfeito

"By next month, she will have been training for a year."

Duration of an action up to a point in the future (future perfect continuous)

"By graduation day, he will have been studying computer science for four years."

Perguntas frequentes

Quantos tempos verbais o inglês tem?

O inglês tem 12 tempos no total: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Simple (will), Future Continuous, Future Perfect e Future Perfect Continuous. Cada um combina um plano temporal com um aspecto para expressar quando e como uma ação se desenrola.

Qual é a diferença entre Present Perfect e Past Simple?

O Past Simple descreve uma ação concluída em um momento passado específico ("I saw him yesterday"). O Present Perfect conecta uma ação passada ao presente — como resultado recente ("I have just seen him"), experiência de vida ("I have seen that film") ou estado contínuo ("I have lived here for ten years"). Se um tempo passado específico é mencionado, use Past Simple; se a conexão com o presente importa mais, use Present Perfect.

Quando usar "going to" vs "will" para o futuro?

Use "going to" para planos ou intenções já decididos antes de falar ("I am going to start a business next year") ou para previsões baseadas em evidências presentes ("Look — it's going to rain"). Use "will" para decisões espontâneas no momento de falar ("I'll answer the phone"), promessas, ofertas ou previsões gerais sem evidências visíveis ("I think prices will rise").

Para que se usa o Present Perfect Continuous?

O Present Perfect Continuous (have/has + been + -ing) enfatiza a duração ou continuidade de uma ação que começou no passado e ainda continua ou acabou de terminar: "I have been studying English for two years." É frequentemente usado quando há um resultado visível no presente: "Her eyes are red because she has been crying." Contrasta com o Present Perfect Simple, que foca na completude, não na duração.

Por que os tempos verbais do inglês parecem tão confusos para os alunos?

Os tempos confundem porque não têm correspondência exata com os de outras línguas, e o mesmo tempo pode cobrir situações que em outro idioma exigem tempos diferentes. A maneira mais eficaz de internalizar os tempos é a exposição massiva ao inglês real — ouvir e ler conteúdo autêntico — em vez de memorizar regras abstratas.

A forma mais rápida de internalizar os tempos verbais é ouvi-los em conversas e histórias reais.

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