VERBAL TENSES
Tense positive/negative/question
• P: He speaks.
Simple Present
• N: He does not
speak.
Present
• Q: Does he speak?
Present • P: He is speaking.
Progressive • N: He is not
speaking.
Present Continuous • Q: Is he speaking?
Simple Past P: He spoke.
N: He did not speak.
Preterite Q: Did he speak?
Past Progressive
P: He was speaking.
Preterite N: He was not speaking.
Continuous Q: Was he speaking?
Past Continuous
Present Perfect P: He has spoken.
N: He has not spoken.
Perfect Q: Has he spoken?
Present Perfect P: He has been speaking.
Progressive N: He has not been
speaking.
Perfect Continuous Q: Has he been speaking?
Usage Signal Words
▪ repeated/regular action in the present
▪ general validity always, every …, never, normally,
▪ actions happening one after the other often, seldom, sometimes, usually
▪ confirmed future actions (time table, schedule)
▪ action currently taking place
at the moment, just, just now, Listen!,
▪ action limited to a particular timeframe
Look!, now, right now
▪ already planned or agreed-upon future action
▪ a single or repeated action in the past
▪ actions happening one after the other in the
yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990,
past
the other day, last Friday
▪ a new action that interrupts an action that was
already taking place
▪ emphasis on the process of an action taking
place in the past
▪ multiple actions taking place at the same time while, as long as
▪ an action that was taking place when
interrupted by a new action
▪ the result is emphasised
▪ action that lasts to the present moment
▪ action that has just been completed already, ever, just, never, not yet, so
▪ completed action with influence on the present far, till now, up to now
▪ an action that has never/once/more than once
taken place up to the time of speaking
▪ the action is emphasised (not the result)
all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how
▪ action that has lasted until the present time
long?, the whole week
▪ completed action with influence on the present
 Tense positive/negative/question
Past Perfect
P: He had spoken.
N: He had not spoken.
Pluperfect
Q: Had he spoken?
Past Anterior
Past Perfect
Progressive
P: He had been speaking.
N: He had not been
Pluperfect
speaking.
Continuous
Q: Had he been speaking?
Past Anterior
Continuous
P: He will speak.
Future (will) N: He will not speak.
Q: Will he speak?
P: He is going to speak.
Future (going to) N: He is not going to speak.
Q: Is he going to speak?
Future Progressive P: He will be speaking.
N: He will not be speaking.
Future Continuous Q: Will he be speaking?
P: He will have spoken.
Future Perfect N: He will not have spoken.
Q: Will he have spoken?
Future Perfect P: He will have been speaking.
Progressive N: He will not have been
speaking.
Q: Will he have been
Future
Perfect Continuous speaking?
Usage Signal Words
▪ action taking place before a certain time in the
past
▪ sometimes interchangeable with past perfect already, just, never, not yet, once,
progressive until that day
▪ emphasises only the fact that something took
place before a certain point in the past
▪ action before a certain point in the past
▪ sometimes interchangeable with past perfect
for, since, the whole day, all day
simple
▪ emphasises the action or length of the action
in a year, next …, tomorrow,
▪ events in the future that cannot be influenced first conditional sentences (If you ask
▪ spontaneous decision her, she will help you.),
▪ suppositions about the future supposition: I think, probably,
perhaps
▪ pre-existing intention regarding the future
in one year, next week, tomorrow
▪ logical conclusion regarding the future
▪ action that will be taking place at a certain
point in the future in one year, next week, tomorrow
▪ certain or obvious events
▪ action that will have been completed by a
by Monday, in a week
future time
▪ action that will have been completed by a
for …, the last couple of hours, all
future time
day long
▪ emphasises the length of the action