Tenses for the Verb - To eat

Click on the timeline to see how this irregular verb changes with each tense

The Past

Past Continuous - "He was eating his breakfast when the phone rang."

Past Simple - "He ate cornflakes for breakfast."

Past Perfect Simple - "He had already eaten breakfast when he got to work."

Past Perfect Continuous - "He had only been eating his breakfast for 2 minutes when his boss phoned."

The Present

Present Continuous - "It is 12.15 and he is eating lunch."

Present Simple - "He eats lunch at 12 noon every day."

Present Perfect Simple - "He has already eaten breakfast today."

Present Perfect Continuous - "He has been eating lunch since 12 noon."

The Future

Future Continuous - "He's eating dinner with his mother at 8.00 tomorrow."

Future Simple - "He will eat steak for dinner."

Future Perfect Simple - "He will have already eaten his starter when he gets his main course."

Future Perfect Continuous - "He will have been eating his dinner for 15 minutes when his favourite tv programme starts.

English Grammar