In English verbs tell basically two things:

For instance, in present tense, we can say

I work
I am working

If I use the first in a sentence, I might say, "I work all day." While this is certainly a present tense verb, my meaning is different from when I say, "I am working today." In the first example, I refer to the action of working as if it were a unit or complete action. In the second sentence, I refer to the action of working as if it were a process or a continuous action. The first example we call a simple tense, the second, a continuous or progressive tense.

Past tense verbs also can be simple or continuous.

I worked. I was working.

So can future tense verbs.

I will work. I will be working.

Often we use the simple tense in combination with a continuous tense to indicate something that happened while something else was happening.

While I was building my treehouse, I fell and broke my arm.

was building is a continuous past tense verb used in connection with fell and broke which are simple past tense verbs. The actions fell and broke are seen as completed actions that occurred during the course of the continuous action building.

Every verb has three forms. The examples above illustrate two of the forms: the present tense and the past tense. Verbs also have a participle form. The present tense form is used to make present tense verbs and ing is added to the present tense form to make all the continuous verbs. The past tense form is used to make the simple past.

Verbs also have a third form, the participle form of the verb. The participle form is used to create verbals (we saw these when we were learning about fragments). For regular verbs like work, the participle form is the same as the past tense form, but for some verbs the form changes. Some examples are given in the chart below.

VerbPresentPastParticiple
workwork, worksworkedworked
dorun, runsranrun
gogo, goeswentgone
beam, is, arewas, werebe, been

The participle form is also used in the perfect tenses.

If we want to describe an action that begins in the past but continues to the present, we use the present perfect tense.

I have studied hard all semester.

The perfect tense is formed by using the helping verbs have or has with the participle form of the verb.

If we want to describe an action that is prior to some action in the past, we use the past perfect tense.

Before I lived in Chattanooga, I had lived in Pennsylvania.

Listening for ed endings on regular verbs

When we add s to verbs that end in s-like sounds, we have to add es, and when we hear the word pronounced, it ends with the sound sez. When we add ed to words that end in a d or t sound, when we hear the word pronounced, it ends with ted or ded.

wantwanted
headheaded

When verbs end in unvocalized consonants (like k or p), the d is pronounced unvocalized and sounds like t.

leapleaped
kisskissed
laughlaughed

When verbs end in vocalized consonants, the d is vocalized.

robrobbed (pronounced robbd)
burnburned (pronounced burnd

Can/Could and Will/Would

These verbs are often misused. Can means to be able and will means to do at some point in the future. "I can tie my shoes" means "I am able to tie my shoes." "I could tie my shoes" means "I was able to tie my shoes." "I will go to the store" means that at some point in the future it is my intention to go to the store. "I would go to the store" means that at some point future to the time of the statement it was my intention to go to the store. Notice that would does not mean that I went. Don't misuse these two verbs.

Irregular verbs

Many verbs form the past tense and the past participle by some other means than just adding ed to the present form. These just have to be memorized. Most of these words are very common words because they are very old words in the English language.