Tense

Signal words every day sometimes

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

Form

Examples affirmative I work. He works. I go.

Examples negative I don't work. He doesn'twork. I don't go.

Examples interrogative Do I work? Does hework? Do I go?

Simple Present or Present Simple

always often usually seldom never first ... then

infinitive he/she/it + -s He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?

now Present Progressive at the moment or Present Look! Continuous Listen! Simple Past or Past Simple last ... ... ago in 1990 yesterday Past Progressive or while Past Continuous Simple Present Perfect or Present Perfect just yet never ever already so far, up to now, since for

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)

I'm working. He's working. to be (am/are/is) +infinitive + - I'm going. ing He's going. I worked.

I'm not working. He isn'tworking. I'm not going. He isn't going. I didn't work. He didn't work. I didn't go. He didn't go. I wasn'tworking. He wasn'tworking. I wasn't going. He wasn'tgoing. I haven'tworked. He hasn'tworked. I haven't gone. He hasn't gone.

Am Iworking? Is heworking? Am I going? Is he going? Did I work? Did he work? Did I go? Did he go? Was Iworking? Was heworking? Was I going? Was hegoing? Have Iworked? Has heworked? Have I gone? Has he gone?

action took place in the past, mostly connected with an expression of time (no connection to the present)

regular: infinitive + -edirregular: 2nd column of table of irregular verbs

He worked. I went. He went. I was working.

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

was/were +infinitive + ing

He wasworking. I was going. He was going. I have worked. He has worked. I have gone. He has gone.

you say that sth. has happened or is have/has + past finished in the past and it has a connection participle* to the present *(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd action started in the past and continues up column of table of irregular to the present verbs)

recently all day Present Perfect the whole day Progressive or how long Present Perfect since Continuous for Simple Past Perfect or Past Perfect (Simple) already just never action began in the past and has just stopped how long the action has been happening emphasis: length of time of an action

I have beenworking.

I haven't beenworking.

Have I beenworking? Has he beenworking? Have I beengoing? Has he beengoing? Had Iworked? Had heworked? Had I gone? Had he gone?

He hasn't have/has +been + infinitiv He has beenworking. beenworking. e+ -ing I have beengoing. I haven't beengoing. He has beengoing. He hasn't beengoing. I hadn'tworked. He hadn'tworked. I hadn't gone. He hadn't gone.

I had worked. mostly when two actions in a story are had + past participle* related to each other: the action which had He had worked. already happened is put into Past Perfect, *(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd I had gone. the other action into Simple Past column of table of irregular verbs) He had gone. the past of the Present Perfect I had beenworking. how long something had been happening before something else happened He had had + been +infinitive + in beenworking. g I had beengoing. He had beengoing. predictions about the future (you think that sth. will happen) I'll work. He'll work. I'll go. He'll go. I'm going towork.

Past Perfect how long Progressive or since Past Perfect Continuous for

I hadn't beenworking. Had I beenworking? He hadn't beenworking. I hadn't beengoing. He hadn't beengoing. I won't work. He won't work. I won't go. He won't go. Had he beenworking? Had I beengoing? Had he beengoing? Will I work? Will hework? Will I go? Will he go?

will - future

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

I'm not going towork. Am I going towork? He's not going to work. I'm not going togo. He's not going to go. I won't beworking. He won't beworking. I won't begoing. He won't begoing. I won't haveworked. Is he going towork? Am I going togo? Is he going togo? Will I beworking? Will he beworking? Will I begoing? Will he begoing? Will I haveworked?

going to future

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.

be (am/are/is)+ going to +infinitive

He's going towork. I'm going to go. He's going togo.

Future Progressive or Future Continuous Simple Future Perfect or Future Perfect Simple Future

I'll be working. will + be +infinitive + ing He'll beworking. I'll be going. He'll be going. will + have +past participle* I'll haveworked. He'll haveworked.

sth. will already have happened before a certain time in the future

He won't haveworked. Will he haveworked? I won't havegone. He won't havegone. I won't have Will I havegone? Will he havegone? Will I havebeenworking?

I'll have gone. *(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular He'll have gone. verbs) will + have +been + infiniti I'll have

sth. will already have happened before a

beenworking. Perfect Progressive or Future Perfect Continuous certain time in the future ve+ ing emphasis: length of time of an action He'll have beenworking. I'll have beengoing.

been working. He won't have been working. I won't havebeen going. Will he havebeenworking? Will I havebeenworking? Will he havebeenworking? Would I work? Would he work? Would I go? Would he go?

He'll have beengoing He won't . havebeen going. I would work. I wouldn't work. He wouldn'twork. I wouldn't go. He wouldn't go.

Conditional Simple

sth. that might happen main clause in type II of the Conditional sentences would +infinitive

He would work. I would go. He would go.

Conditional Progressive or Conditional Continuous

I would beworking. sth. that might happen emphasis: length of time of an action He would would + be +infinitive + in beworking. g I would begoing. He would begoing. would + have +past participle* I would haveworked. He would haveworked.

I wouldn't beworking. Would I beworking? He wouldn't beworking. I wouldn't begoing. He wouldn't begoing. I wouldn't haveworked. He wouldn't have worked. Would he beworking? Would I begoing? Would he begoing? Would I haveworked? Would hehaveworked? Would I havegone? Would I havegone? Would I havebeenworking? Would he have beenworking? Would I havebeen going? Would he have beengoing?

Conditional Perfect

sth. that might have happened in the past (It's too late now.) main clause in type III of the if clauses

*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd I wouldn't havegone. column of table of irregular I would havegone. verbs) He wouldn't He would havegone. have gone. I would have been working. I wouldn't have been working. He wouldn't have beengoing. I wouldn't have been going. He wouldn't have beengoing.

Conditional Perfect Progressive or Conditional Perfect Continuous

sth. that might have happened in the past (It's too late now.) emphasis: length of time of an action

would + have +been + infi nitive+ ing

He would have beengoing. I would have been going. He would have been going.