Auxiliary Verbs List

Many English learners struggle to understand the purpose and structure of auxiliary verbs. These verbs may seem small, but they hold the key to building correct tenses, forming questions, and creating passive sentences. If you don’t know how and where to use them, your English will feel incomplete. This blog post explains the Auxiliary Verbs List clearly with definitions, categorized examples, and a practical usage guide.

What Are Auxiliary Verbs?

Auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, assist the main verb in a sentence. They help form questions, negatives, tenses, passives, and emphasis. There are two main types:

• Primary Auxiliary Verbs: be, do, have
• Modal Auxiliary Verbs: can, could, may, might, shall, should, etc.

These verbs never stand alone; they always help another verb to complete a thought.

24 Main Auxiliary Verbs List in English

• am
• is
• are
• was
• were
• be
• being
• been
• have
• has
• had
• do
• does
• did
• can
• could
• shall
• should
• will
• would
• may
• might
• must
• ought to

Primary Auxiliary Verbs List with Examples

Auxiliary Verb	Example Sentence
am	I am reading the Quran.
is	She is learning Arabic.
are	They are studying grammar.
was	Ahmad was reciting Surah Yaseen.
were	We were discussing Hadith.
be	He wants to be a teacher.
being	She is being honest.
been	I have been to Makkah.
have	I have memorized five surahs.
has	Fatimah has completed her homework.
had	They had finished before sunset.
do	I do pray on time.
does	She does help her siblings.
did	Yusuf did learn all the tenses.

Modal Auxiliary Verbs List

• can
• could
• may
• might
• shall
• should
• will
• would
• must
• ought to

Auxiliary Verbs in Different Tenses with Examples

Tense Type	Auxiliary Verb(s) Used	Example Sentence
Present Simple	do / does	Does Amina speak English?
Past Simple	did	Did you go to the masjid?
Present Perfect	have / has	I have completed the homework.
Past Perfect	had	She had left before Fajr.
Future Simple	will	They will join us later.
Future Perfect	will have	We will have arrived by then.
Present Continuous	am / is / are	He is writing a story.
Past Continuous	was / were	They were reading books.
Future Continuous	will be	I will be teaching tomorrow.
Passive Voice	be / is / was / were / been	The book was written by Hassan.

Auxiliary vs. Main Verbs

1. Auxiliary Verbs

• Also called helping verbs
• Help the main verb show tense, voice, mood, or aspect
• Cannot stand alone in a sentence
• Examples: am, is, are, was, were, have, has, had, will, can, must

Examples:

• Fatima is eating dinner. ✅
• They have finished the homework. ✅

2. Main Verbs

• Show the main action or state in a sentence
• Can stand alone (without help)
• May be supported by auxiliaries in some tenses or structures
• Examples: eat, play, sleep, go, write

Examples:

• Ahmad writes daily. ✅
• Aisha slept early. ✅

Auxiliary Verbs in Sentences

Here are some useful sentence examples using auxiliary verbs in real contexts:

1. I am going to the masjid.
2. She is preparing for her exam.
3. They have completed the assignment.
4. You should recite daily.
5. He was reading the Quran.
6. Malaika has memorized Surah Al-Mulk.
7. We were planning a group study.
8. I will help you with grammar.
9. She might join later.
10. Areeba must complete the task by Maghrib.

FAQs

Conclusion

Understanding the auxiliary verbs list helps learners build correct English structures across tenses and moods. Whether it’s forming a question, expressing possibility, or creating passive sentences, auxiliary verbs play a central role. Practice them in different tenses, and you’ll find your grammar improving naturally.

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