Tense Signal words

every day
sometimes
always
often
Simple Present or Present Simple
usually
seldom
never
first ... then
Present now

Progressive or at the moment

Present Continuous Look!

Listen!
last ...

... ago
Simple Past or Past Simple
in 1990
yesterday
Past

Progressive or
while
Past Continuous

Simple just

Present yet
Perfect never
or ever
Present already
Perfect so far
up to now
since
for
recently
all day
the whole day
Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous how long
Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous
since
for

already
Simple Past Perfect or Past Perfect (Simple)
just
never

how long

since
Past Perfect Progressive or Past Perfect Continuous
for

will - future

going to - future

Future Progressive or Future Continuous

Simple Future Perfect or Future Perfect Simple

Future Perfect Progressive or Future Perfect Continuous

Conditional Simple
 Conditional Simple

Conditional Progressive or Conditional

Continuous

Conditional Perfect

Conditional Perfect Progressive or Conditional

Perfect Continuous
 Use

something happens repeatedly

how often something happens
one action follows another
things in general
with the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.)
future meaning: timetables, programmes

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 finished in the past, mostly connected with an

expression of time (no connection to the present)

an action happened in the middle of another action

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

action began in the past and has just stopped

how long the action has been happening

emphasis: length of time of an action

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

the past of Present Perfect

how long something had been happening before

something else happened

predictions about the future (you think that sth. will

happen)
you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of
speaking, you haven't made a decision before
main clause in type I of the if clauses

when you have already decided to do sth. in the future

what you think what will happen

An action will be in progress at a certain time in the

future. This action has begun before the certain time.

Something happens because it normally happens.

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

sth. that might happen

 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.)

main clause in type III of the if clauses

sth. that might have happened in the past (It's too late
now.)

emphasis: length of time of an action

 Form Examples affirmative Examples negative

I work. I don't work.

infinitive (he/she/it) + -s

He works. He doesn't work.

I go. I don't go.
He goes. He doesn't go.
I'm working. I'm not working.

to be (am/are/is)+ infinitive+ -ing He's working. He isn't working.

I'm going. I'm not going.

He's going. He isn't going.
regular: infinitive + -ed I worked. I didn't work.
irregular: 2nd column of table of
He worked. He didn't work.
irregular verbs
I went. I didn't go.
He went. He didn't go.
I was working. I wasn't working.

He was working. He wasn'tworking.

was/were + infinitive + -ing
I was going. I wasn't going.
He was going. He wasn't going.

I have worked. I haven't worked.

have/has +past participle*

He has worked. He hasn't worked.

I have gone. I haven't gone.
He has gone. He hasn't gone.

I have been working. I haven't been working.

have/has + been + infinitive + -ing He has been working. He hasn't been working.
have/has + been + infinitive + -ing
I have been going. I haven't been going.
He has been going. He hasn't been going.

I had worked. I hadn't worked.

had + past participle*

He had worked. He hadn't worked.
I had gone. I hadn't gone.
He had gone. He hadn't gone.
I had been working. I hadn't been working.

He had been working. He hadn't been working.

had + been+ infinitive+ ing
I had been going. I hadn't been going.
He had been going. He hadn't been going.
I'll work. I won't work.

will + infinitive He'll work. He won't work.

I'll go. I won't go.
He'll go. He won't go.
I'm going to work. I'm not going to work.
to be (am/are/is)+ going to He's going to work. He's not going to work.
+ infinitive
I'm going to go. I'm not going to go.
He's going to go. He's not going to go.

I'll be working. I won't beworking.

will + be + infinitive + ing

He'll be working. He won't be working.
I'll be going. I won't be going.
He'll be going. He won't be going.
I'll have worked. I won't have worked.

He'll have worked. He won't have worked.

will + have+ past participle*
I'll have gone. I won't have gone.
He'll have gone. He won't havegone.
I'll have been I won't have beenworkin
working. g.
He'll have beenworkin He won't havebeen work
g. ing.
will + have+ been + infinitive + ing
I'll have been going. I won't have been going.

He won't have
He'll have been going.
been going.
I would work. I wouldn't work.

would + infinitive
 He would work. He wouldn't work.
would + infinitive
I would go. I wouldn't go.
He would go. He wouldn't go.
I would be working. I wouldn't be working.

He would be working. He wouldn't be working.

would + be+ infinitive+ ing
I would be going. I wouldn't be going.
He would be going. He wouldn't be going.

I would have worked. I wouldn't have worked.

He would have He wouldn't have

would + have + past participle* worked. worked.
I would have gone. I wouldn't have gone.

He would have gone. He wouldn't have gone.

I would have been I wouldn't havebeen wor

working. king.
He would have He wouldn't have
would + have + been + infinitive + in been going. been going.
g I would have been I wouldn't have
going. been going.
He would have He wouldn't have
been going. been going.
Examples interrogative

Do I work?

Does he work?
Do I go?
Does he go?
Am I working?

Is he working?

Am I going?
Is he going?
Did I work?

Did he work?

Did I go?
Did he go?
Was I working?

Was he working?

Was I going?
Was he going?

Have I worked?

Has he worked?
Have I gone?
Has he gone?

Have I been working?

Has he been working?

 Have I been going?
Has he been going?

Had I worked?

Had he worked?
Had I gone?
Had he gone?
Had I beenworking?

Had he been working?

Had I been go ing?

Had he beengo ing?
Will I work?

Will he work?
Will I go?
Will he go?
Am I going to work?
Is he going to work?
Am I going to go?
Is he going to go?

Will I be working?

Will he be working?
Will I be going?
Will he be going?
Will I haveworked?

Will he have worked?

Will I have gone?

Will he have gone?
Will I have been
working?
Will he have been
working?
Will I have been
working?
Will he have been
working?
Would I work?
 Would he work?
Would I go?
Would he go?
Would I be working?

Would he be working?

Would I be going?
Would he be going?

Would I have worked?

Would he have
worked?
Would I have gone?

Would I have gone?

Would I have been

working?
Would he have
been working?
Would I have been
going?
Would he have been
going?