Tenses in

English
language
Theory & Practice Guide
1 Past

2 Present

3
Future
 50
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in
in
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Perfect Perfect Perfect
Continuous Continuous Continuous

Perfect Perfect Perfect

How?

Continuous Continuous Continuous

Simple Simple Simple

When? in 2010 now in 2050
 50
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in
in
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Perfect Perfect Perfect result +
Continuous Continuous Continuous duration

Perfect Perfect Perfect result

Continuous Continuous Continuous duration

Simple Simple Simple regularity

in 2010 now in 2050

 Present Simple Time markers
100% -always
80% - usually
60% - sometimes
40% - often
20% - seldom
Usage 0% - never
 habits and routines
 events on a timetable or programme 100% -every day
 general truths
 repeated actions or events
 emotions and wishes once a week/month
 instructions or directions …times a year (month)
 fixed arrangements
 Present Continuous Time markers
now
right/just now
at the/this moment
Look!
Listen!

Usage
 actions happening now
 planned or prepared action
or event in the future
to be going to

Usage
 future plans and intentions
(made before the moment
of speaking)
 predictions based on evidence
in present
 Present Perfect Time markers
just
already
yet (- ?)
ever (?)
never
lately/recently
since
for
Usage this week/month/year
 result of an action
 action happened in an unfinished
period of time experience
 duration of the action started in the
past
 Present Perfect Continuous Time markers
all day
lately/recently
since
for

Usage
 duration of the activity started in
the past up to now
 result of a recently stopped activity
 Past Simple Time markers
yesterday,
last week (month/year)
…weeks (years) ago
when I was a child,
In 2010
Usage
 actions happened in the past
at a definite point in time

 finished actions (no

connection with the
present)
 Past Continuous Time markers
a certain time specified:

yesterday at 9 a.m
last week on Sunday
three years ago in May
from 5 to 7 p.m
when
while

Usage
 actions in a progress at a
past point in time
 Interrupted past activity
Past Perfect Time markers
before
after
by the time
Until/till

Usage
 sequence of events
 Past Simple + Past
Continuous = action
preceding another
 Past Perfect Continuous Time markers
for
since
before
until/till

Usage
 duration of an activity up
to a past point in time
 Future Simple Time markers

tomorrow
next week (month/year)
in a few days (weeks/months)
this month (week/year)
someday
Usage
 making a spontaneous decision
 prediction based on personal
opinion or knowledge
 offers, promises
 Future Continuous Time markers
a certain time specified:

tomorrow at 9am
next week on Sunday
next year in May

Usage
 activity in progress at a
future point in time
 Future Perfect
Time markers

by noon
by 9 a.m
by the/that time

Usage
 future action that will be
completed at or before a
specific time
 Future Perfect Continuous
Time markers
by this year (month/ week)
for an hour
for 5 years
by then
since morning
since 1995
Usage by tomorrow
 duration of the action that
started in the past and
extends to a future point in
time
 V
Present Simple S+ V s/es
I /you/we/they
time marker
V
(always, usually,
sometimes, often, V s/es -es -s,-ss,
-x,-ch,-sh, -o
he/she/it never)

I /you/we/they
don’t time marker
V .
(always, usually,
he/she/it doesn’t sometimes, V .
often, never)

Do I /you/we/they time marker

V ?
(always, usually,
Does he/she/it sometimes, V ?
often, never)
What?
When?
do I /you/we/they
V ?
Where? he/she/it
 Present Simple
I usually play football on Sundays.
He plays football every weekend.

Do you usually play football on Sundays?

Does he play football every weekend?
English
practice I don’t usually play football on Sundays. 4u
He plays football every weekend.

click
Test
Livework English
eslblues
sheets
Present Continuous
I am = ‘m
Ving
time marker

he/she/it is = ‘s (now, at the

you/we/they are = ‘re moment) .
I ‘m not .
Ving
time marker

he/she/it Isn’t (now, at the

you/we/they aren’t moment)
Am I
?
Ving
time marker

Is he/she/it (now, at the

Are you/we/they moment)
What?
When?
am I time marker
?
is he/she/it (now, at the
Where?
 Present Continuous
I am playing football now.
He is playing football at the moment.
They are playing football now.
Am I playing football now?
Is he playing football at the moment?
Are they playing football now?
I’m not playing football now.
English
practise He isn’t playing football at the moment. 4u
They aren’t playing football now.
click

Test going to
For future
English arrangme
nts
 have
S+ has +Ved/3
Present Perfect
time marker
‘ve (have)
I /you/we/they

(just, already,
never) ‘s (has) Ved/3
he/she/it

I /you/we/they time marker

haven’t
Ved/3 (recently,
he/she/it hasn’t lately, yet) .
Have I /you/we/they time marker

Ved/3
(ever)
Has he/she/it ?
What?
When?
have I /you/we/they
 Present Perfect
Tic-tac-toe
We have just played football. genially
He has played football recently.
Baamboozle
Past
Have you played football? Simple/Present
Has he played football? Perfect

practise
We haven’t played football yet.
click
He hasn’t played football yet. Test English

Wordwall
 have
S+ has
been +Ving
Present Perfect Continuous
I /you/we/they have been Ving time marker

has been Ving

(since, for,
all day)
.
he/she/it

I /you/we/they haven’t been Ving time marker

he/she/it hasn’t been Ving

(since, for,
all day)
.
Have I /you/we/they
Ving
been ?
Has he/she/it Ving
What? have
I /you/we/they
Ving
When?
been
 Present Perfect Continuous
I have been playing football since morning. Baamboozle
Pr.Perfect/
He has been playing football for 2 hours. Pr.Perfect
Continuous

Have you been playing football since morning?

Has he been playing football for 2 hours?
Test English
practise
click
I haven’t been playing football since morning.
Present Perfect or He hasn’t been playing football for 2 hours.
Perfect
Continuous
 Ved
Past Simple S+ V2
I /you/we/they time marker

he/she/it
V ed (yesterday, last week, 5 days
ago)
.
V2
I /you/we/they time marker
.
he/she/it didn’t V (yesterday, last
week, 5 days .
ago)

V
I /you/we/they time marker
?
Did he/she/it (yesterday, last
?
week, 5 days
ago)
What?
did I/you/we/
they/he/ ?
When?
Where?
she/it V
 Past Simple
I played football last week.
He swam in the pool yesterday.
negative/
Did you play football last week? questions
Did he swim in the pool yesterday?

practise
I didn’t play football last week. wordwall
click
He didn’t swim in the pool yesterday. Yes/No
questions
regular-/
ireegular
verbs
 was
S+ were+Ving
Past Continuous
I/he/she/it was time marker

you/we/they were
Ving (yesterday at 8 p.m,
from 4 to 6 p.m.,
while)
.
I/he/she/it wasn’t
Ving
time marker
.
(yesterday at 8 p.m,
from 4 to 6 p.m.,
while)
you/we/they weren’t
Was I/he/she/it

Ving
time marker

?
(yesterday at 8 p.m,
from 4 to 6 p.m.,
while)
Were you/we/they

What? was I/he/she/it time marker

(yesterday at 8 p.m,
When?
Where?
?
from 4 to 6 p.m.,
while)

Why?
were you/we/they
 Past Continuous
He was playing football yesterday from 5 to 7 p.m.
baamboozle
They were playing football yesterday at 7 p.m.

Was he playing football yesterday from 5 to 7 p.m?

Were they playing football yesterday at 7 p.m?
Test English
liveworksheets

He wasn’t playing football yesterday from 5 to 7 p.m.

click
They weren’t playing football yesterday at 7 p.m.
wordwall
 S+ had +Ved/3
Past Perfect
I /you/we/they time marker

(by the time, before,

he/she/it had Ved/3 when)

I /you/we/they time marker

he/she/it hadn’t Ved/3 (by the time, before,

when)
I /you/we/they time marker

Had he/she/it
Ved/3 (by the time, before,
when)

What? I/you/we/
they/he/she
When?
Where?
had /it Ved/3
Why?
 Past Perfect
He had played football before the lessons started.

Had he played football before the lessons started? wordwall

practise He hadn’t played football before the lessons started.

click
Test English

wordwall
 S+ had been +Ving
Past Perfect Continuous
I /you/we/they time marker

had been Ving

(since, for,
until)
.
he/she/it

I /you/we/they hadn’t been time marker

he/she/it Ving (since, for,

.
until)
I /you/we/they

Had he/she/it
been Ving ?
What? I/you/we/they

When?
Where?
had he/she/it been Ving
Why?
 Past Perfect Continuous
He had been playing football for 4 hours when he broke his leg.

wordwall
English
click Had he been playing football for 4 hours?

liveworksheets
He hadn’t been playing football for 4 hours
when he broke his leg. English4real

wordwall
Future Simple S+ will +V
time marker
I /you/we/they
he/she/it (tomorrow, next
.
will=‘ll V week, in 2 days)

time marker
I /you/we/they
will not=
won’t V (tomorrow, next
he/she/it week, in 2 days)
.
I /you/we/they time marker

Will he/she/it V (tomorrow, next

week, in 2 days)
?
What?
I/you/we/
 Future Simple
He’ll play football tomorrow.
ego4u Perfect
English
click
Will he play football tomorrow?

practise
He won’t play football tomorrow. Test English

wordwall
 S+ will be +Ving
Future Continuous
I/he/she/it will be= time marker

you/we/they
ll be Ving (tomorrow at 9
p.m., next week
in May)
.
I/he/she/it will not be=
Ving
time marker

you/we/they won’t be .
(tomorrow at 9
p.m., next week
in May)
I/he/she/it
Ving ?
Will you/we/they be
What? I/he/she/it/
?
When?
Where?
will you/we/they
be Ving
Why?
 Future Continuous
He’ll be playing football tomorrow at 5 p.m.

liveworksheets Will he be playing football quiz

click
tomorrow at 5 p.m?

grammar
He won’t be playing football
Test English
tomorrow at 5 p.m.
wordwall
 S+ will have +Ved/3
Future Perfect
I /you/we/they time marker

will have= (by the time,

he/she/it
‘ll have Ved/3 before, when)

I /you/we/they time marker

he/she/it won’t have Ved/3 (by the time,

before, when)
I /you/we/they

Will he/she/it
have Ved/3
What? I/you/we/they/
he/she
When?
Where?
had /it Ved/3
Why?
 Future Perfect

He’ll have played football by 5 p.m.

engblock

Perfect
Will he have played football by 5
English p.m?
click

He won’t have played football by 5 Test English

p.m.
wordwall
 S+ will have been +Ving
Future Perfect Continuous
I /you/we/they time marker
(for 5 years,

he/she/it
will have been Ving by this week,
until)
.

I /you/we/they will have been time marker

(for 5 years,
he/she/it Ving by this week,
.
until)
I /you/we/they

Will he/she/it
have been Ving ?
What? I/you/we/they
have
When?
Where?
will he/she/it
been Ving
Why?
 Future Perfect Continuous
He’ll have been playing football for 2 hours before the
rain started.
ego4u Perfect
English
click Will he have been playing football for 2
hours?
engblocks

He won’t have been playing football all the quiz

morning
wordwall
 50
10

20
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no

in
in
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
had been have/has been will have been
playing playing playing
will have
had played have/has played
How?

played
was/were am/is/are will be playing
playing playing

played play (s) will play

When? in 2010 now in 2050