Two action tenses can be broken down into
- Actions that happen at the same time
- Actions that cause the previous one to finish or interrupt it in some way
- Actions that happen in sequence, one after another.
The tenses that are used to describe actions in process at the same time are,
Present Simple
Present Continuous
Past Simple
Past Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
Future Simple
Future Continuous
The actions that cause the previous one to finish or interrupt it in some way are
Past Continuous + Past Simple
Past Perfect Continuous + Past Simple
Future Continuous + Present Simple
Future Perfect Continuous + Present Simple
Actions that happen in sequence one after another are
Past Perfect + Past Simple
Past Continuous + Past Simple
Past Perfect Continuous +Past Simple
Present Simple + Present Simple
Future Perfect + Present Simple
Future Continuous + Present Simple
Future Perfect Continuous + Present Simple
Present Continuous + Present Simple
You can watch our video to find out more about two-action tenses and read our write-up on 'Tenses-Combining Actions' for even more detailed information.