Mastering the Verb “Know” in English Tenses: A Comprehensive Guide

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The verb “know” is an essential part of the English language, and its conjugation can be a bit tricky for non-native speakers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into the various tenses of the verb “know” and provide you with a detailed understanding of its usage.

Present Tense

In the present tense, the verb “know” is conjugated as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I know
  • You know
  • He/She/It knows
  • Plural:
  • We know
  • You know
  • They know

The present tense of “know” is used to express general facts, habitual actions, or current states of being. For example:

  • “I know the capital of France is Paris.”
  • “She knows how to play the piano.”
  • “They know the importance of saving money.”

Present Progressive Tense

know in tense

The present progressive tense of “know” is used to express an ongoing action or state of being in the present. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I am knowing
  • You are knowing
  • He/She/It is knowing
  • Plural:
  • We are knowing
  • You are knowing
  • They are knowing

It’s important to note that the present progressive tense of “know” is less common and may sound unnatural in some contexts. Instead, the present tense is often preferred to express current knowledge or understanding. For example:

  • “I am knowing the answer to the question.”
  • “She is knowing more about the subject than anyone else in the class.”

Past Tense

The past tense of “know” is used to express actions or states of being that occurred in the past. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I knew
  • You knew
  • He/She/It knew
  • Plural:
  • We knew
  • You knew
  • They knew

Examples of the past tense of “know” include:

  • “I knew the answer to the question.”
  • “She knew how to solve the problem.”
  • “They knew the importance of the event.”

Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense of “know” is used to express an action or state of being that has been completed in the present. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I have known
  • You have known
  • He/She/It has known
  • Plural:
  • We have known
  • You have known
  • They have known

Examples of the present perfect tense of “know” include:

  • “I have known the answer to that question for years.”
  • “She has known the importance of this project since the beginning.”
  • “They have known each other for a long time.”

Present Perfect Progressive Tense

The present perfect progressive tense of “know” is used to express an ongoing action or state of being that has been in progress up to the present. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I have been knowing
  • You have been knowing
  • He/She/It has been knowing
  • Plural:
  • We have been knowing
  • You have been knowing
  • They have been knowing

Examples of the present perfect progressive tense of “know” include:

  • “I have been knowing the answer to that question for a while now.”
  • “She has been knowing the importance of this project for some time.”
  • “They have been knowing each other for many years.”

Past Progressive Tense

The past progressive tense of “know” is used to express an ongoing action or state of being that was in progress in the past. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I was knowing
  • You were knowing
  • He/She/It was knowing
  • Plural:
  • We were knowing
  • You were knowing
  • They were knowing

Examples of the past progressive tense of “know” include:

  • “I was knowing the answer to the question when you asked me.”
  • “She was knowing the importance of the project at the time.”
  • “They were knowing each other well back then.”

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense of “know” is used to express an action or state of being that was completed before another past event. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I had known
  • You had known
  • He/She/It had known
  • Plural:
  • We had known
  • You had known
  • They had known

Examples of the past perfect tense of “know” include:

  • “I had known the answer to the question before you asked me.”
  • “She had known the importance of the project before the meeting.”
  • “They had known each other for years before they started working together.”

Past Perfect Progressive Tense

The past perfect progressive tense of “know” is used to express an ongoing action or state of being that was in progress before another past event. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I had been knowing
  • You had been knowing
  • He/She/It had been knowing
  • Plural:
  • We had been knowing
  • You had been knowing
  • They had been knowing

Examples of the past perfect progressive tense of “know” include:

  • “I had been knowing the answer to the question for a while before you asked me.”
  • “She had been knowing the importance of the project for some time before the meeting.”
  • “They had been knowing each other for many years before they started working together.”

Future Tense

The future tense of “know” is used to express an action or state of being that will occur in the future. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I will know
  • You will know
  • He/She/It will know
  • Plural:
  • We will know
  • You will know
  • They will know

Examples of the future tense of “know” include:

  • “I will know the answer to the question by the time you ask me.”
  • “She will know the importance of the project before the meeting.”
  • “They will know each other well by the time they start working together.”

Future Progressive Tense

The future progressive tense of “know” is used to express an ongoing action or state of being that will be in progress in the future. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I will be knowing
  • You will be knowing
  • He/She/It will be knowing
  • Plural:
  • We will be knowing
  • You will be knowing
  • They will be knowing

Examples of the future progressive tense of “know” include:

  • “I will be knowing the answer to the question by the time you ask me.”
  • “She will be knowing the importance of the project before the meeting.”
  • “They will be knowing each other well by the time they start working together.”

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense of “know” is used to express an action or state of being that will be completed by a certain point in the future. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I will have known
  • You will have known
  • He/She/It will have known
  • Plural:
  • We will have known
  • You will have known
  • They will have known

Examples of the future perfect tense of “know” include:

  • “I will have known the answer to the question by the time you ask me.”
  • “She will have known the importance of the project before the meeting.”
  • “They will have known each other well by the time they start working together.”

Future Perfect Progressive Tense

The future perfect progressive tense of “know” is used to express an ongoing action or state of being that will be in progress by a certain point in the future. The conjugation is as follows:

  • Singular:
  • I will have been knowing
  • You will have been knowing
  • He/She/It will have been knowing
  • Plural:
  • We will have been knowing
  • You will have been knowing
  • They will have been knowing

Examples of the future perfect progressive tense of “know” include:

  • “I will have been knowing the answer to the question by the time you ask me.”
  • “She will have been knowing the importance of the project before the meeting.”
  • “They will have been knowing each other well by the time they start working together.”

References

  1. https://www.wordreference.com/conj/enverbs.aspx?v=know
  2. https://www.theconjugator.com/english/verb/to%2Bknow.html
  3. https://conjugator.reverso.net/conjugation-english-verb-know.html