ENGLISH TENSES

Past-Present-Future
Quelle: https://7esl.com/verb-tenses/
Past Tenses
I studied English – Infinitive + ed

I had studied English – had + Infinitive + ed

Irregular Verbs! had + Past Participle

I was studying English – was/were + Infinitive + ing

I had been studying English – had + been + Infinitive + ing

Present Tenses

I study English – Infintive / 3.Person Singular + „s“

I have studied English – have/has + Past Participle

I am studying English – be/am/is/are + Infinitive + ing

I have been studying English – have/has + been + Infinitive + ing

Future Tenses
I will study English – will/shall + Infinitive

I will have studied English – will + have + Infinitive + ed

Irregular Verbs! will + have + Past Participle

I will be studying English – will + be + Infinitive + ing

I will have been studying English – will + have + been + Infinitive + ing
APPLICATION
HOW TO USE THE RIGHT TENSES
 Past Simple Past Progressive
• Completed actions with no connection • Actions that were not completed at a
to the present particular time
• • Action interrupted by another action in the
Giving details of the news
past
• Asking about a specific time in the past • Backgrounding, distancing, politeness
• Things that haven‘t changed • Repeated actions around a particular time

Last night I was painting the ceiling

My dad was a teacher I was eating an apple when Tim stormed
through the door
He was on his way when it happened
Were you thinking about applying
When did you start painting?
I was playing a lot of tennis when I got to
Those people were very nice know her
 Past Perfect Past Perfect Progressive

• Looking back from a point in the past • Looking back from a point in the
to an even further past past, focus on the duration

When I finally arrived, all my students She got ill, cause she hadn‘t been
had gone sleeping enough
 Present Simple
• Things that are always true, facts,
permanent situations
• Things that are happening all the time,
never, often, sometimes…
• Instructions, jokes, stories…
Bill lives in Linz
I go to the Gym on Tuesdays
A monkey goes into a bar…
Present Progressive
• Things that are temporary
• Things that are happening now, around
now
• Things that are changing
• An annoying habit
Bill is living in Linz
I‘m reading a book
The price of petrol is going up
She is always parking there
 Present Perfect Present Perfect Progressive
• Completed actions in the past with a • Duration
connection to the present • Filling time
• News • Longer permanent situations
• Unfinished time periods
• Realised wishes
• Recently finished actions, where the
focus is on the result

I‘ve made a cake, would you like some? I have been working for two hours

The president has been kidnapped I‘ve been working very hard

I have been allergic to cats all my life The universe has been expending steadily

Look! I‘ve had my hair cut I‘ve been meaning to tell you this
 Future Simple Future Progressive
Simple+ will:
• Spontaneous •
decisions Things that will be in progress at a
Simple+ going to: certain time in the future
• Predictions where
we say what we • Plans that have • Asking politely
think already been
decided
• Predictions with
evidence
I‘ll go for a quick shower I will be lying on the beach
One day children won‘t learn
how to write Will you be writing Oliver?

I am going to play my banjo this

evening
You‘re going to crash your car
 Future Perfect Future Perfect Progressive

• Something will be completed by a • To say how long something will have

certain time in the future continued by a certain time

We‘ll have finished planting the trees By next summer I‘ll have been
by Wednesday working here for eight years
Recognizing Tenses
My grandfather worked for a newspaper

I‘ll be finished with the homework in a few minutes

She was angry because her boyfriend had forgotten her birthday

Jen has been wanting this for ages!

This is not going to work

Vienna is the capital city of Austria

I think I’ll go watch some curling

Recognizing Tenses
Tim was watching the football game when Katie fell down the stairs

I’ve lived in this town since the day I was born

I stopped for a rest, because I had been walking for an hour

Next year I will be standing on stage myself

In one week we’ll have been working here for exactly three years

My sister is always borrowing my clothes

 Grammar-King/Queen
• I have held a real live crocodile in my hands
• I take a pan, put some butter in it and get some eggs and break them
• My dad has written several books about spiders
• I‘ll have been teaching here for 33 years at the end of the summer term
• In two weeks I will be on a plane to the Czech Republic
• By the time they opened the doors, the fans had been waiting for over two hours
• I passed all my exams last year
• I have been running, that’s why I am out of breath
 Grammar-King/Queen
• My neighbour is always parking his car in front of my house
• Will you be going to the shops this afternoon?
• This gorilla goes into a bar and orders a drink. The barman thinks...
• That new video game is going to be a huge success!
• I‘ll have finished reading this book by tomorrow, so you can have it then
• This evening I‘m going to the cinema
• She’s playing darts in the garage
• Columbus discovered America
 Grammar-King/Queen
• I‘ll change my clothes quickly
• I was talking to Dilip yesterday
• I have been to the Harry Potter museum twice this year