Two action tenses can be broken down into

1. Actions that happen at the same time
2. Actions that cause the previous one to finish or interrupt it in some way
3. 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.