英语中一共有16种时态。时态分为“时”和“态”两个部分。“时”有现在、过去、将来和过去将来；“态”有一般、进行、完成和完成进行。这样四四相乘，正好是16种时态。
1.一般现在时：The sun rises from the east and sets in the west.太阳东升西落。
2. 现在进行时：She is learning English now.她正在学习英语。
3. 现在完成时：I've lived here for five years.我在这里住了五年了。
4. 现在完成进行时：She's been typing the letters all day.她整天都在打信件。
5. 一般过去时：We worked in that company last year.我们去年在这个公司工作。
6. 过去进行时：They are reading the text when the reacher went into the classroom.老师进教室时，他们正在读课文。
7. 过去完成时：The patient had died when the doctor arrived.医生来时，病人已经死了。
8. 过去完成进行时：He had been waiting for two weeks． He was still waiting．他都等了两周了，还在等。
9. 一般将来时：I will go to her birthday party tomorrow.我明天去参加她的生日宴会。
10. 将来进行时：At this time tomorrow morning, grandpa will be eat breakfast with us together.明天早晨这个时候，爷爷正和我们一起吃早饭呢。
11. 将来完成时：I will have retired by the year 2020.到2020年我将已经退休。
12. 将来完成进行时：I shall have been working here in this factory for twenty years by the end of the year. 到今年年底，我将在这个工厂工作20年了。
13. 一般过去将来时：We never imagined that John would become a doctor. 我们从未想过约翰会成为一个医生。
14. 过去将来进行时：He said he could not come because he would be having a meeting. 他说他不能来因为要开会。
15. 过去将来完成时：I guessed that Helen would have told her something.我猜海伦会告诉她一些情况的。
16. 过去将来完成进行时：He told me (that) by the end of the year he would have been living there for 40 years.他告诉我，到年底他在那里住了有40年了。
——she went to the supermarket yesterday；过去进行时——he was running when i called him yester afternoon；过去完成时——she had finished her work before Mr Li came to her workstation； 将来时：一般将来时——i will visit my uncle tomorrow morning；将来进行时——he will be surfing the internet when you go to his bedroom tomorrow night；将来完成时——she will have finished her task by tomorrow afternoon。