Learn English Tenses
Tenses for the Verb - To think
Click on the timeline to see how this irregular verb changes with each tense
The Past
Past Continuous - You would only use this tense to show the act of thinking.
You could say, "I was thinking about her when she came online."
Past Simple - "I thought my English was improving, and then I met someone from Scotland."
Past Perfect Simple - "A month before the exam, I had thought of a way to improve my English."
Past Perfect Continuous - You would only use this tense to show the act of thinking.
You could say, "I had been thinking of joining an English forum for some time, but I never got round to it."
The Present
Present Continuous - You would only use this tense to show the act of thinking.
You could say "Be quiet! I'm thinking."
Present Simple - You can use this tense to show the act of thinking.
You could say, "I usually think up new things for the website in the middle of the night."
You can use this tense to express an opinion.
You could say, "I think the internet gives people lots of opportunities to learn new things."
Present Perfect Simple -
Present Simple - You can use this tense to show the act of thinking.
You could say, "I have thought of a new way to use the internet to learn English."
You can use this tense to express an opinion.
You could say, "I thought it would be a good idea to open a Facebook account."
Present Perfect Continuous - You would only use this tense to show the act of thinking.
You could say "I have been thinking of linking to my Facebook account for some time."
The Future
Future Continuous - You wouldn't use this verb in this context.
Future Simple - "I will think of you all whilst I'm on holiday next month."
Future Perfect Simple - "I'm sure I will have thought of something fun to do on SL by next Friday."
Future Perfect Continuous - You wouldn't use this verb in this context.