TENSE

Example Exampl Examples

Tense Signal words Use Form
s es interrogati
affirmati negativ ve
ve e
every day

sometimes
 something happens
always repeatedly I work. I don't work. Do I work?
 how often something infinitive
often happens He works. He doesn't work. Does he work?
Simpl
 one action follows another
e he/she/it:
usually  things in general I go. I don't go. Do I go?
Prese infinitive + s
 with verbs like (to love,
nt
to hate, to think, etc.)
seldom  future meaning: He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?
timetables, programmes
never

first ... then

now  something is happening at I'm working. I'm not working. Am I working?
the same time of speaking
or around it
at the moment He's working. He isn't working. Is he working?
Present  future meaning: when be (am/are/is) +
Progressi you have already infinitive + ing
ve Look! decided and arranged I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going?
to do it (a fixed plan,
Listen! date) He's going. He isn't going. Is he going?
last ... I I didn't Did I
regular:
action took place in the past, infinitive + ed
... worked. work. He work? Did
Sim mostly connected with an
ple expression of time (no irregular:
Past ago connection to the present) He didn't work. he work?
(2nd column of
table of irregular
in verbs) worked. I didn't go. Did I go?

1990 I went. He didn't go. Did he go?

yesterday He went.

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  an action happened in I was working. I wasn't working. Was I working?
the middle of another
action He was working. He wasn't working. Was he working?
Past was/were +
while  someone was doing sth. at a
Progressi infinitive + ing
certain time (in the past) - I was going. I wasn't going. Was I going?
ve you don't know whether it
was finished or not
He was going. He wasn't going. Was he going?
just

yet

never

ever I have I haven't Have I

 you say that sth. has have/has +
happened or is finished in past
Simpl alrea the past and it has a worked. He worked. He worked? Has
participle*
e connection to the present
Prese dy so  action started in the past has worked. hasn’t worked. he worked?
nt *(infinitive + ed)
and continues up to the
Perfe or (3rd column of
far, present I have gone. I haven't gone. Have I gone?
ct table of irregular
verbs)
up to now, He has gone. He hasn’t gone. Has he gone?

since

for

recently
I have I haven't Have I
all day been been been
 action began in the past working. working. working?
and has just stopped
the whole day  how long the action has He has He hasn't Has he
Present been happening have/has + been + been been been
how long working. working. working?
Perfect infinitive + ing
Progressive emphasis: length of time of
since an action I have been I haven't been Have I been
going. going. going?
for He has He hasn't Has he
been been going. been
going. going?
  mostly when two actions I had I hadn't Had I
in a story are related to had +
alrea each other: the action past
worked. He worked. He worked? Had
Simple which had already participl
dy happened is put into Past e*
Past
Perfect Perfect, the other action had worked. hadn't worked. he worked?
just into Simple Past *(infinitive + ed)
 the past of the Present or (3rd column of I had gone. I hadn't gone. Had I gone?
never Perfect table of irregular
verbs) He had gone. He hadn't gone. Had he gone?
I had I hadn't Had I
been been been
working working. working
. ?
how long something had been
how He had He hadn't Had he
happening before something
Past else happened had + been + been been been
long working. working. working?
Perfect infinitive + ing
Progressi
since
ve I had been going. I hadn't been Had I been going?
for going.

He had He hadn't Had he

been been going. been
going. going?
 predictions about the
future (you think that sth I'll work. I won't work. Will I work?
will happen)
 you decide to do sth. He'll work. He won't work. Will he work?
will - future spontaneously at the time will + infinitive
of speaking I'll go. I won't go. Will I go?
 main clause in type I of
the Conditional He'll go. He won't go. Will he go?
sentences
I'm going to I'm not going to Am I going to
work. work. work?
 when you have already
decided to do sth. in the He's going to He's not going to Is he going to
going be (am/are/is) + work. work. work?
future
to -  what you think what going to + infinitive
future will happen
I'm going to go. I'm not going to go. Am I going to go?
He's going to go. He's not going to go. Is he going to go?
  An action will be in progress I'll be working. I won't be working. Will I be working?
at a certain time in the
future. This action has He'll be working. He won't be Will he be
Future will + be + working. working?
begun before the certain
Progressi infinitive
time. I'll be going.
ve + ing
 Something happens I won't be going. Will I be going?
because it normally
happens. He'll be going. He won't be going. Will he be going?
I'll have worked. I won't have Will I have
worked. worked?
will + have +
past participle* He'll He won't Will he
Future have have have
sth. will already have happened
Perfect worked worked. worked?
before a certain time in the *(infinitive + ed)
Simple .
future or (3rd column of
table of irregular I won't have gone. Will I have gone?
verbs) I'll have gone.
He'll have gone. He won't have Will he have gone?
gone.
I'll have I won't have Will I have
been been working. been
working. working?

sth. will already have happened He'll have He won't have Will he have
Future before a certain time in the been been working. been working?
will + have + been working.
Perfect future
+
Progressi I won't have Will I have
infinitive + ing
ve emphasis: length of time of I'll have been going. been going?
an action been
going.

He'll have He won't have been Will he have

been going. going. been going?
I would work. I wouldn't work. Would I work?

 sth. that might happen

He would work. He wouldn't work. Would he work?
Conditio  main clause in type II of
would + infinitive
nal the Conditional sentences
Simple I would go. I wouldn't go. Would I work?

He would go. He wouldn't go. Would he work?

 I would I wouldn't Would I
be be be
working working. working
. ?

sth. that might happen He would be He wouldn't be Would he

Condition would + be + working. working. be
al emphasis: length of time of infinitive + ing working?
Progressi an action I would be going. I wouldn't be
ve going. Would I be going?

He would be He wouldn't Would he

going. be going. be going?
I would I wouldn't Would I
have have worked. have
worked. worked?
 sth. that might have would + have +
He would He wouldn't Would he
happened in the past past participle*
 main clause in type III of have have worked. have
Conditio worked. worked?
nal the Conditional sentences *(infinitive + ed)
I wouldn't
Perfect or (3rd column of
I would have gone. Would I
table of irregular
have gone. have gone?
verbs)
He would He wouldn't Would he
have gone. have gone. have gone?
I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
been working. been working. been working?

sth. that might have happened He would He wouldn't Would he

Condition in the past have been have been have been
would + have + working. working. working?
al Perfect
been
Progressi emphasis: length of time of + infinitive + ing
ve an action I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
been going. been going. been going?

He would He wouldn't Would he

have been have been have been going?
going. 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. Always remember what
action is described.
Used colours:
blue→ infinitive grey → irregular verbs in the Simple Past red → negation
dark green→ auxiliary purple → past participle
orange → ending light green → signal word