If you’re a regular listener to the podcast, there’s a good chance you’ve already mastered the basic English tenses. If so, congratulations! You’ve got the foundation. But if you’ve ever wondered why native speakers say “I’ll have finished by Friday” instead of “I’ll finish by Friday” or “I’d been waiting for an hour” instead of “I waited for an hour,” this episode is for you.

Today, we’re exploring the advanced verb tenses that help you sound more fluent, tell better stories, and express yourself with much greater precision. Don’t worry, this isn’t a grammar lecture. We’ll explain each tense with practical examples, and plenty of real-life discussion.

Basic Verb Tense Review: present simple, past simple, present continuous, present perfect (simple and continuous), going to: https://inglespodcast.com/287

Past Perfect
had + past participle
Use when something happened before another past event.
When I went to pay, I realised I’d (I had) left my wallet at home.
When Reza arrived, I’d (I had) already set up the recording gear.
My car had already been stolen before I went to bed. (passive = had been + past participle)

If you could travel back 20 years, what advice would you give yourself?

Past Perfect Continuous
had been + verb + ing
Shows duration before another event in the past.
She had been waiting for two hours before the train finally arrived.
I’d been teaching English for about 5 years before I moved to Spain.
The suspect had been being observed for a week when the police finally arrested her. (passive = had been being + past participle)

Think about a time when you felt really tired. What had you been doing before you became exhausted?

Future Continuous
will be + verb + ing
An action in progress at a future time.
This time tomorrow, I’ll be sipping a cocktail on the beach.
Don’t call me at 8 o’clock. We’ll be having dinner.
I won’t be able to answer my phone at 8 o’clock tonight as I’ll be being massaged then. (passive = will be being + past participle)

We often use the future continuous to ask polite questions.
Will you be using the car this afternoon?
Will sir be having lunch alone today?

In ten years’ time, what habits do you think you’ll still be doing, and which ones will you have changed?

Future Perfect
will have + past participle
Something finished before a future point.
Hopefully, by 2030, I’ll have retired.
By the time you arrive, we’ll have already eaten.
The operation will have been completed long before the patient wakes up. (passive = will have been + past participle)

What will you have achieved by the time you retire?

Future Perfect Continuous
will have been + verb + ing
Duration up to a future moment.
Next September, I’ll have been living in Spain for 30 years.
By tomorrow morning, we will have been traveling for almost 18 hours.
As the detainees will have been being held for over 24 hours by 07:00 am tomorrow, they then must be released from custody by law. (passive = will have been being + past participle)

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. What grammar haven’t we covered yet? What would you like us to speak about in a future podcast that will help you with your English.

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In next week’s episode: Living in a Multicultural Society – Advanced English Vocabulary, Idioms & Discussion

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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’