Tense
Signal words every day
Simple Present or Present Simple
usually
things in general
seldom
after the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.)
first ... then
now at the moment Look! Listen!
Simple Past or Past Simple
last ... ... ago in 1990
something is happening at the same time of speaking or around it future meaning: when you have already decided and arranged to do it (a fixed plan, date) action took place in the past, mostly connected with an expression of time (no connection to the present) an action happened in the middle of another action
Simple Present Perfect or Present Perfect
just yet never ever already
Examples affirmative
Examples negative
Examples interrogative
I work.
I don't work.
Do I work?
He works.
He doesn't work.
Does he work?
I go.
I don't go.
Do I go?
He goes.
He doesn't go. Does he go?
I'm working.
I'm not working.
Am I working?
He isn't working.
Is he working?
I'm not going.
Am I going?
infinitive he/she/it + -s
future meaning: timetables, programmes
yesterday
Past Progressive or while Past Continuous
Form
something happens repeatedly
sometimes how often something happens always one action follows often another
never
Present Progressive or Present Continuous
Use
someone was doing sth. at a certain time (in the past) - you do not know whether it was finished or not you say that sth. has happened or is finished in the past and it has a connection to the present action started in the past and continues up to the present
to be (am/are/is) He's working. + infinitive + I'm going. -ing
regular: infinitive + -ed irregular: 2nd column of table of irregular verbs
He's going.
He isn't going. Is he going?
I worked.
I didn't work.
He worked.
He didn't work. Did he work?
I went.
I didn't go.
Did I go?
He went.
He didn't go.
Did he go?
I was working.
I wasn't working.
Was I working?
He wasn't working.
Was he working?
was/were + He was working. infinitive + -ing I was going.
have/has + past participle*
Did I work?
I wasn't going. Was I going?
He was going.
He wasn't going.
Was he going?
I have worked.
I haven't worked.
Have I worked?
He hasn't worked.
Has he worked?
He has *(infinitive + worked. -ed) or (3rd I have gone. column of He has gone. table of irregular verbs)
I haven't gone. Have I gone? He hasn't gone. Has he gone?
so far,
1
up to now, since all day Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous
the whole day how long since for
Simple Past Perfect or Past Perfect (Simple)
already just never
I have been working.
I haven't been Have I been working. working?
have/has + been + how long the action has infinitive + been happening -ing
He has been working.
He hasn't been Has he been working. working?
I have been going.
I haven't been Have I been going. going?
emphasis: length of time of an action
He has been going.
He hasn't been Has he been going. going?
I had worked.
I hadn't worked.
Had I worked?
He hadn't worked.
Had he worked?
I hadn't gone.
Had I gone?
He hadn't gone.
Had he gone?
I hadn't been working.
Had I been working?
action began in the past and has just stopped
mostly when two actions in a story are related to each other: the action which had already happened is put into Past Perfect, the other action into Simple Past
had + past participle*
He had *(infinitive + worked. -ed) or (3rd I had gone. column of table of irregular He had gone. the past of the Present verbs) Perfect I had been working.
Past Perfect Progressive or Past Perfect Continuous
how long since for
how long something had been happening before something else happened
He had been had + been working. + infinitive + I had been ing going.
He hadn't been Had he been working. working?
He had been going.
He hadn't been Had he been going. going?
I'll work.
I won't work.
He'll work.
He won't work. Will he work?
I'll go.
I won't go.
Will I go?
He'll go.
He won't go.
Will he go?
I'm going to work.
I'm not going to work.
Am I going to work?
He's going to work.
He's not going Is he going to to work. work?
I'm going to go.
I'm not going to go.
He's going to go.
He's not going Is he going to to go. go?
predictions about the future (you think that sth. will happen)
will - future
you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of speaking, you haven't made a decision before
I hadn't been going.
Had I been going?
Will I work?
will + infinitive
main clause in type I of the if clauses
going to future
when you have already decided to do sth. in be the future (am/are/is) + going to + what you think what infinitive will happen
Am I going to go?
2
Future Progressive or Future Continuous
An action will be in progress at a certain time in the future. This action has begun will + be + before the certain time. infinitive + ing
I'll be working.
I won't be working.
Will I be working?
He'll be working.
He won't be working.
Will he be working?
I'll be going.
I won't be going.
Will I be going?
He'll be going.
He won't be going.
Will he be going?
will + have + I'll have past worked. participle* He'll have *(infinitive + worked.
I won't have worked.
Will I have worked?
-ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs)
I'll have gone.
I won't have gone.
He'll have gone.
He won't have Will he have gone. gone?
I'll have been working.
I won't have Will I have been working. been working?
Something happens because it normally happens.
Simple Future Perfect or Future Perfect Simple
Future Perfect Progressive or Future Perfect Continuous
sth. will already have happened before a certain time in the future
sth. will already have happened before a certain time in the future emphasis: length of time of an action
will + have + He'll have been working. been + infinitive + I'll have been ing going.
sth. that might happen Conditional Simple
Conditional Progressive or Conditional Continuous
Conditional Perfect
Conditional
main clause in type II of the Conditional sentences
sth. that might happen emphasis: length of time of an action
sth. that might have happened in the past (It's too late now.)
would + infinitive
He won't have Will he have worked. worked? Will I have gone?
He won't have Will he have been working. been working? I won't have been going.
Will I have been working?
He'll have been going.
He won't have Will he have been going. been working?
I would work.
I wouldn't work.
Would I work?
He would work.
He wouldn't work.
Would he work?
I would go.
I wouldn't go.
Would I go?
He would go.
He wouldn't go.
Would he go?
I would be working.
I wouldn't be working.
Would I be working?
He would be would + be working. + infinitive + I would be ing going.
He wouldn't be Would he be working. working?
He would be going.
He wouldn't be Would he be going. going?
I would have worked.
I wouldn't have worked.
would + have + past participle*
I wouldn't be going.
Would I be going?
Would I have worked?
He would have He wouldn't have worked. *(infinitive + worked. -ed) or (3rd I would have I wouldn't main clause in type III column of gone. have gone. of the if clauses table of He would have He wouldn't irregular gone. have gone. verbs)
Would he have worked?
sth. that might have
Would I have
would +
I would have
I wouldn't
Would I have gone? Would I have gone?
3
been working. Perfect Progressive or Conditional Perfect Continuous
happened in the past (It's too late now.) emphasis: length of time of an action
He would have been have + been going. + infinitive + I would have ing been going.
have been working.
been working?
He wouldn't have been going.
Would he have been working?
I wouldn't have been going.
Would I have been going?
He wouldn't He would have have been been going. going.
Would he have been going?
We sometimes use Continuous instead of Progressive. Some signal words can be found in more tenses. We did not list signal words in the future tenses as there are no definite ones. Always remember what action is described.
Chart of English Tenses Affirmative/Negative/ Tense
Use
Signal Words
Question
Simple Present
A: He speaks. N: He does not speak. Q: Does he speak?
Habitual actions
facts, general truths
future meaning: a timetable or
schedule
Frequency adverbs (always, eve never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually) if sentences type I (If I talk, …) once a day, twice a month... on Tuesdays
4
Present Continuous
A: He is speaking. N: He is not speaking. Q: Is he speaking?
action taking place in the moment of
speaking
at the moment, just, just now, Li Look!, now, right now, at presen today, tonight, tomorrow, next w
action taking place only for a limited period of time
Simple Past
A: He spoke. N: He did not speak. Q: Did he speak?
action arranged for the future
action in the past taking place once, never or several times
actions taking place one after another
yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the othe last Friday if sentence type II (If I talked, …
action taking place in the middle of another action
Past Continuous
A: He was speaking. N: He was not speaking. Q: Was he speaking?
action going on at a certain time in the
when, while, as long as
past
actions taking place at the same time
action in the past that is interrupted by another action
Present Perfect Simple
A: He has spoken. N: He has not spoken. Q: Has he spoken?
Present Perfect Continuous
A: He has been speaking. N: He has not been speaking. Q: Has he been speaking?
For + periods of time Since + points in time action that is still going on already, ever, just, never, yet, so now, up to now action that stopped recently once, before finished action that has an influence on recently, lately How long? the present Today, this week, this year,this action that has taken place once, never this afternoon or several times before the moment of speaking
putting emphasis on the result
putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result)
all day, for 4 years, since 1993, long?, the whole week
action that recently stopped or is still
going on
finished action that influenced the
present Past Perfect Simple
A: He had spoken. N: He had not spoken. Q: Had he spoken?
action taking place before a certain time in the past
already, just, never, not yet, onc that day if sentence type III (If I had talk
sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive
putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)
Past Perfect Progressive
A: He had been speaking. N: He had not been speaking. Q: Had he been speaking?
action taking place before a certain time in the past
for, since, the whole day, all day
sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple
putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action
Future Simple
A: He will speak. N: He will not speak. Q: Will he speak? Shall I/we in questions
action in the future that cannot be influenced (predictions)
spontaneous decision
assumption with regard to the future
in a year, next …, tomorrow If-Sent. Type I (If you ask her, s help you.) Time clauses (when, as soon as, after, until..) I think, I don’t think, I’m sure
5
suggestions, requests, offers
Be going to Future Continuous
A: He is going to speak. N: He is not going to speak. Q: Is he going to speak? A: He will be speaking. N: He will not be speaking. Q: Will he be speaking?
decision made for the future
evidence with regard to the future
action that is going on at a certain time in the future
promise, hope, expect, believe probably, perhaps, maybe
in one year, next week, tomorro
in one year, next week, tomorro
action that is sure to happen in the near
future Future Perfect
A: He will have spoken. N: He will not have spoken. Q: Will he have spoken?
action that will be finished at a certain time in the future
by Monday, in a week
6
