Tenses with Time Phrases: Complete List & Examples for Beginners

List of Time Phrases According to Tenses with Examples

Introduction to Time Phrases in English Tenses

What are Time Phrases?

Time phrases are words or groups of words that help us understand when an action happens. They are essential for mastering English tenses.

Examples: yesterday, now, next week, for five years, since morning

Learning time phrases is the secret to speaking English confidently and naturally. Let’s explore them in detail, tense by tense!

1. Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense Time Phrases

• The simple present tense describes habits, general truths, and routines.

Common Time Phrases for Simple Present Tense

Time Phrase	Example
Every day	I drink coffee every day.
Every morning	She exercises every morning.
Every evening	We go for a walk every evening.
Every week	He visits his grandmother every week.
Every month	They pay the rent every month.
Every year	We celebrate New Year every year.
Always	She always smiles at strangers.
Usually	He usually walks to school.
Often	We often play chess after dinner.
Sometimes	I sometimes skip breakfast.
Rarely	He rarely goes to the cinema.
Never	They never eat junk food.
In the morning	She reads the newspaper in the morning.
At night	He watches TV at night.
On Sundays	We visit the park on Sundays.
During the day	She works during the day.
Every weekend	We go hiking every weekend.
Once a week	He visits the library once a week.
Twice a month	I clean the garage twice a month.
Three times a year	We travel abroad three times a year.

2. Present Continuous Tense Time Phrases

• This tense describes actions happening right now or temporary situations.

Common Time Phrases for Present Continuous Tense

Time Phrase	Example
Now	I am reading a book now.
At the moment	She is cooking at the moment.
Currently	They are currently working on the project.
Right now	We are watching a movie right now.
This week	He is staying with his parents this week.
This month	We are focusing on completing the report this month.
This year	They are working hard on a new project this year.
These days	I am learning French these days.
Today	She is not attending school today.
Tonight	We are going out for dinner tonight.
For now	He is staying with a friend for now.
Still	They are still discussing the problem.
Just now	I am talking to him just now.
At present	She is at present working on her thesis.
In this moment	We are living in this moment fully.

3. Present Perfect Tense Time Phrases

• The present perfect tense is used for actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past but are relevant now.

Common Time Phrases for Present Perfect Tense

Time Phrase	Example
Just	I have just finished my homework.
Already	She has already eaten lunch.
Yet	Have you visited the museum yet?
Since	We have lived here since 2010.
For	He has worked at this company for five years.
Recently	They have recently moved to a new city.
Lately	I have been feeling tired lately.
So far	She has visited three countries so far.
Up to now	We have completed two projects up to now.
Ever	Have you ever been to Paris?
Never	He has never tried sushi before.
In the past	We have met several times in the past.
Over the years	They have improved their skills over the years.
To date	She has received three awards to date.
This week	He has written two reports this week.
This month	We have had three meetings this month.
This year	I have traveled a lot this year.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense Time phrases

• Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to tell the action which started in the past and still going on. (It may continue in the future or may not)

Common Time Phrases for Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Time Phrase	Example
For	She has been studying for three hours.
Since	We have been living here since 2015.
Lately	I have been feeling tired lately.
Recently	They have been working hard recently.
All day	He has been painting all day.
All morning	She has been cleaning the house all morning.
All evening	We have been preparing for the event all evening.
For a while	They have been arguing for a while.
For ages	She has been waiting for ages.
Since morning	We have been working since morning.
For hours	I have been reading for hours.
Since last week	He has been attending classes since last week.
For the past few days	They have been practicing for the past few days.
Since yesterday	She has been feeling unwell since yesterday.
All this time	We have been working hard all this time.

2. Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense Time Phrases

• The simple past tense describes actions completed in the past.

Common Time Phrases for Simple Past Tense 

Time Phrase	Example
Yesterday	I went to the park yesterday.
Last night	She studied for the test last night.
Last week	We visited our grandparents last week.
Last month	They traveled to Japan last month.
Last year	He graduated from college last year.
Two days ago	I met her two days ago.
An hour ago	She called me an hour ago.
A few minutes ago	We finished the meeting a few minutes ago.
In 1990	He was born in 1990.
In the past	People wrote letters more often in the past.
That day	She told me the truth that day.
Once	I visited the Eiffel Tower once.
A long time ago	Dinosaurs roamed the earth a long time ago.
Back then	Back then, we didn’t have mobile phones.
When I was a child	When I was a child, I played with toy trains.
Earlier today	We talked about it earlier today.
The other day	I saw him at the mall the other day.
Once upon a time	Once upon a time, there was a brave knight.
Years ago	They moved to the city years ago.

2. Past Continuous Tense Time Phrases 

• This tense describes actions that were ongoing in the past.

Common Time Phrases for Past Continuous Tense

Time Phrase	Example
At that moment	I was reading a book at that moment.
At 5 PM	She was cooking dinner at 5 PM.
While	We were playing while it started raining.
When	He was running when I saw him.
All day	They were working all day.
All evening	We were watching movies all evening.
Earlier	I was walking my dog earlier.
At midnight	They were studying at midnight.
Yesterday at noon	She was shopping yesterday at noon.
That evening	We were discussing the project that evening.
Last night at 10 PM	He was writing a report last night at 10 PM.
For hours	I was waiting for hours.
From morning to evening	They were working from morning to evening.
When the phone rang	I was cooking when the phone rang.
When he arrived	She was writing when he arrived.
All morning	We were cleaning the house all morning.

3. Past Perfect Tense Time Phrases

• Past Perfect tense is used to tell the action which happened in the past before another action.

Common Time Phrases for Past Perfect Tense

Time Phrase	Example
By the time	By the time we arrived, the train had already left.
Before	She had finished her homework before dinner.
After	He had gone to bed after he finished his work.
Already	They had already left when we arrived.
Just	I had just finished eating when she called.
When	When I reached the station, the train had departed.
By then	He had learned the news by then.
By 8 PM	She had completed the report by 8 PM.
By yesterday	We had cleaned the house by yesterday.
Earlier	He had called me earlier that day.
That morning	She had seen him that morning.
That day	We had completed our tasks that day.
Before I knew it	Before I knew it, they had already started the meeting.
By the end of	By the end of the year, they had achieved all their goals.
Once	Once he had explained, everyone understood.

4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense Time Phrases

• Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to tell the action which started in the past, it was going on for a period of time and ended in the past itself.

Common Time Phrases for Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Time Phrase	Example
For	He had been studying for three hours before the test started.
Since	They had been working on the project since morning.
All day	She had been feeling sick all day.
All morning	We had been waiting for the bus all morning.
For a long time	He had been thinking about the problem for a long time.
Before	She had been practicing yoga before the class started.
By the time	By the time we arrived, they had been waiting for hours.
Up to that point	He had been working hard up to that point.
Since last night	They had been playing music since last night.
For weeks	We had been planning the trip for weeks.
For months	She had been preparing for the exam for months.
For years	They had been saving money for years.
Before then	He had been living in that town before then.
Until that moment	She had been waiting for a response until that moment.

3. Future Tense

1. Simple Future Tense Time Phrases 

• The simple future tense describes actions that will happen in the future.

Common Time Phrases for Simple Future Tense

Time Phrase	Example
Tomorrow	I will visit the museum tomorrow.
Next week	She will start her new job next week.
Next month	We will move to a new house next month.
Next year	They will travel to Europe next year.
In a few days	He will call you in a few days.
In a few hours	I will finish my assignment in a few hours.
In two weeks	She will visit her grandparents in two weeks.
Soon	We will hear from them soon.
Later	He will explain the project later.
In the future	They will expand their business in the future.
By next week	I will complete the report by next week.
By tomorrow	She will send you the details by tomorrow.
Within an hour	We will reach the venue within an hour.
This evening	He will join us for dinner this evening.
Tonight	They will attend the event tonight.
The day after tomorrow	She will meet the client the day after tomorrow.
Next weekend	We will go hiking next weekend.

2. Future Continuous Tense Time Phrases 

• This tense describes actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future.

Common Time Phrases for Future Continuous Tense

Time Phrase	Example
At this time tomorrow	I will be flying to New York at this time tomorrow.
At 5 PM tomorrow	She will be giving a presentation at 5 PM tomorrow.
By this time next week	We will be enjoying our vacation by this time next week.
In the evening	He will be studying in the evening.
Next month	They will be working on a new project next month.
Next week	She will be preparing for her exams next week.
Tomorrow morning	We will be jogging tomorrow morning.
Later today	I will be meeting my professor later today.
All day tomorrow	They will be traveling all day tomorrow.
For hours	She will be waiting for hours to meet the doctor.
By the end of the day	He will be working on the project by the end of the day.
Next weekend	We will be camping next weekend.
By this time tomorrow	She will be presenting her report by this time tomorrow.
At noon	We will be having lunch at noon.
All morning	I will be studying all morning tomorrow.
This evening	He will be attending a seminar this evening.

3. Future Perfect Tense Time Phrases 

• Future Perfect Tense is used to tell action will have happened in the future at a particular time.

Common Time Phrases for Future Perfect Tense

Time Phrase	Example
By tomorrow	I will have completed the assignment by tomorrow.
By next week	She will have finished her project by next week.
By the end of the day	They will have submitted the report by the end of the day.
By the end of the month	We will have moved into the new house by the end of the month.
By this time next year	He will have graduated by this time next year.
By the time	By the time you arrive, I will have cleaned the house.
In two days	They will have completed the task in two days.
By 5 PM	She will have prepared dinner by 5 PM.
By the time we meet	By the time we meet, I will have read the entire book.
Before the deadline	He will have completed the work before the deadline.
By next month	We will have saved enough money by next month.
Within a week	She will have learned the new skill within a week.
By next weekend	They will have painted the house by next weekend.
By noon tomorrow	I will have sent the email by noon tomorrow.
Before you know it	Before you know it, we will have arrived at our destination.

4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense Time Phrases 

• The Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe the duration of an action that will have been happening for some time (emphasizing length and continuity) up to a specific point in the future.

Common Time Phrases for Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Time Phrase	Example
For five years	By next month, I will have been working here for five years.
For three hours	By noon, they will have been studying for three hours.
By this time tomorrow	By this time tomorrow, she will have been traveling for 24 hours.
Since morning	By evening, we will have been working on the project since morning.
For a decade	By the end of the year, they will have been living here for a decade.
By next week	By next week, he will have been practicing yoga for six months.
For two days	By the time we meet, she will have been traveling for two days.
By next year	By next year, I will have been studying English for ten years.
For months	By the end of this term, they will have been preparing for months.
By tomorrow morning	By tomorrow morning, he will have been working for 12 hours straight.
By the time	By the time she arrives, I will have been waiting for an hour.
For years	By 2030, we will have been researching the problem for years.
Since last month	By the time we finish, we will have been working on this since last month.
For a while	By the end of the day, she will have been resting for a while.
Since last year	By next summer, he will have been learning guitar since last year.

Tips for Using Time Phrases Effectively 

• Memorize common phrases: Create flashcards to practice daily.
• Practice in sentences: Write 5 sentences for each tense.
• Speak regularly: Use time phrases in conversations.

FAQ Section 

Q1: Why are time phrases important?

Time phrases help clarify when an action occurs, making communication clear and accurate.

Q2: Can a time phrase be used with more than one tense?

Yes, some phrases like "since" and "for" work in multiple tenses depending on the context.

Q3: How can I master time phrases?

Practice daily with real-life examples and use them in your speaking and writing.