Verb Tenses

What are verb tenses?

The tense of a verb tells you when something happens. The three basic tenses sit neatly on a timeline: the past (it already happened), the present (it happens now), and the future (it will happen). Putting a verb on a timeline turns an abstract grammar rule into a place you can point to — the same idea as the number line, but for language.

How to use this tool

• Tap a time — choose Past, Now, or Future on the timeline, the buttons, or the form cards, and the marker slides to that point.
• See the verb change — the form updates (walk → walked → will walk) and a full sentence appears: “Yesterday I walked. Today I walk. Tomorrow I will walk.”
• Hear it — each form and sentence is read aloud; use the speaker button to mute or replay.
• Next verb and Shuffle — work through twelve verbs, including tricky irregular ones.

Regular and irregular verbs

Most verbs are regular: you just add -ed to make the past tense (walk → walked, play → played). But many common verbs are irregular — they change in their own way, and there is no “-ed” to add. This tool marks each irregular verb and spells out the change, so learners see that the past of go is went (not “goed”) and the past of eat is ate (not “eated”).

Why it helps

Seeing all three forms at once, next to a moving marker and a real sentence, builds the habit of asking “when did this happen?” before choosing a verb form. Reading the sentence aloud makes the right form sound right, which is exactly how strong writers learn to catch tense mistakes in their own work.

Good for

Second through sixth grade grammar and writing — first learning past, present, and future, then mastering the irregular verbs that trip everyone up. It also makes a friendly review for any writer who still guesses at forms like “runned” or “seed.”