TENSE SIGNAL WORD USE FORM EXAMPLES EXAMPLES EXAMPLES

AFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

Every day Something happens

repeatedly I work I don”t work Do i work?
Sometimes
How often something happens She works He doesn”t work Does he work?
Always
One action follows another I go I don”t go Do i go?
Simple Often Infinitive
present Things in general He/she/it + -s He goes He doesn”t go Does he go?
Ussualy
With the following verbs (to
Seldom love, to hate, to think)

Never Future meaninig: timetables,

programmes
First…then

Now Something happeninig at the I am working I am not working Am i working?

same time of speaking or To be (am/are/is)+ infinitive
At the around it + ing He is working Ge isn”t working Is he working?
Present moment
progressive Future meaninig: when you I am going I am not going Am i going?
Look! have already decided and
arranged to do it( a fixed plan, He is going He isn”t going Is he going?
Listen! date)
 Last… Action took place in the past Regular: I worked I didn”t work Did i work?
mostly connected with an Infinitive+ - ed
Simple past ….ago expression of time ( no He worked He didn”t work Did he work?
connection to the present) Irregular:
In 1990 2. Spalte I went I didn”t go Did i work?

Yesterday He went He didn”t go Did he work?

An action happened in the

middle of another action I was working I wasn”t working Was i working?
Was/were + infinitive+ - ing
Past While Someone was doing He was working He wasn”t working Was he working?
progressive something, at the certain
time(in the past)- you don”t I was going I wasn”t going Was i going?
know whether it was finished
or not He was going He wasn”t going Was he going?
 Just
I have worked I haven”t worked Have i worked?
Yet
You say that something has Have/has +past participle* He has worked He hasn”t worked Has he worked?
Never happened or is finished in the
Simple past and it has a connection to *( infinitive +ed) or ( 3rd I have gone I haven”t gone Have i gone?
present Ever the present column of table of irregular
perfect verbs) He has gone He hasn”t gone Has he gone?
Already Action started in the past and
continues up to the present
So far

Up to now

Since

For

Recently

All day Action began in the past and I have been I haven”t been Have i been
has just stopped working working working?
The whole day
Present How long the action has been Have/has +been+infinitive He has been He hasn”t been Has he been
perfect How long happening +- ing working working working
progressive
Since Emphasis:length of time of an I have been I haven”t been Have i been going?
action going going
For Has he been
He has been He hasn”t been going?
going going
 An action will be in progress at I will be working I won”t be working Will i be working?
a certain time in the
Future future.This action has begun Will+be+infinitive+ ing He will be He won”t be Will he be
progressive before the certain time working working working?

Something happens because is I will be going I won”t be going Will i be going?

normally happens
He will be going He won”t be going Will he be going?

I will have I won”t have Will i have

Future worked worked worked?
perfect Will+have+past participle*
simple Something will already He will have He won”t have Will he have
happened before a certain *infinitive + - ed or 3rd worked worked worked?
time in the future column of table of irregular
verbs I will have gone I won”t have gone Will i have gone?

He will have He won”t have Will he have

gone gone gone?
I will have been I won”t have been Will i have been
working working working?
Something will already
Future happened before a certain Will+have+been+infinitive+ He will have He won”t have Will he have been
perfect time in the future ing been working been working working?
progressive
Emphasis:length of time of an I will have been I won”t have been Will i have been
action going going going?

He will have He won”t have Will he have been

been going been going going?
 I would work I wouldn”t work Would i work?
Conditional Something that might happen
simple Would+ infinitive He would work He wouldn”t work Would he work?
Main clause in type II of the if
clauses I would go I wouldn”t go Would i go?

He would go He wouldn”t go Would he go?

I would be I wouldn”t be Would i be

working working working?
Something that might happen
Conditional Would +be+infinitive+ing He would be He wouldn” be Would he be
progressive Emphasis:length of time of an working working working?
action
I would be going I wouldn”t be going Would i be going?

He would be He wouldn”t be Would he be

going going going?

I would have I wouldn”t have Would i have

Something that might Would +have+ past worked worked worked?
happened in the past participle*
Conditional He would have He wouldn”t have Would he have
perfect (it”s too late now) *infinitive+ - ed or 3rd worked worked worked?
column of table of irregular
Main clause in type III of the if verbs I would have I wouldn”t have Would i have
clauses gone gone gone?

He would have He wouldn” have Would he have

gone gone gone?
 Something that might I would have I wouldn”t have Would i have been
happened in the past been working been working working?
Conditional Would +
perfect (it”s too late now) have+been+infinitive+ ing He would have He wouldn” have Would he have
Progressive been working been working been working?
Emphasis:length of time of an
action I would have I wouldn”t have Would i have been
been going been going going?

He would have He wouldn”t have Would he have

been going been going been going?