English tenses
Tense
|
Signal words
|
Use
|
Form
|
Examples
affirmative |
Examples
negative |
Examples
interrogative |
every day
sometimes always often usually seldom never first ... then |
something happens repeatedly
how often something happens one action follows another things in general with the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.) future meaning: timetables, programmes |
infinitive he/she/it + -s
|
I work.
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I don't work.
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Do I work?
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He works.
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He doesn't work.
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Does he work?
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||||
I go.
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I don't go.
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Do I go?
|
||||
He goes.
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He doesn't go.
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Does he go?
|
||||
now
at the moment Look! Listen! |
something is happening at the same time of speaking or
around it
future meaning: when you have already decided and arranged to do it (a fixed plan, date) |
to be (am/are/is) + infinitive + -ing
|
I'm working.
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I'm not working.
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Am I working?
|
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He's working.
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He isn't working.
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Is he working?
|
||||
I'm going.
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I'm not going.
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Am I going?
|
||||
He's going.
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He isn't going.
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Is he going?
|
||||
last ...
... ago in 1990 yesterday |
action took place in the past, mostly connected with an
expression of time (no connection to the present)
|
regular:
infinitive + -ed irregular: 2nd column of table of irregular verbs |
I worked.
|
I didn't work.
|
Did I work?
|
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He worked.
|
He didn't work.
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Did he work?
|
||||
I went.
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I didn't go.
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Did I go?
|
||||
He went.
|
He didn't go.
|
Did he go?
|
||||
while
|
an action happened in the middle of another action
someone was doing sth. at a certain time (in the past) - you do not know whether it was finished or not |
was/were + infinitive + -ing
|
I was working.
|
I wasn't working.
|
Was I working?
|
|
He was working.
|
He wasn't working.
|
Was he working?
|
||||
I was going.
|
I wasn't going.
|
Was I going?
|
||||
He was going.
|
He wasn't going.
|
Was he going?
|
||||
just
yet never ever already so far, up to now, since for recently |
you say that sth. has happened or is finished in the past
and it has a connection to the present
action started in the past and continues up to the present |
have/has + past participle*
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs) |
I have worked.
|
I haven't worked.
|
Have I worked?
|
|
He has worked.
|
He hasn't worked.
|
Has he worked?
|
||||
I have gone.
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I haven't gone.
|
Have I gone?
|
||||
He has gone.
|
He hasn't gone.
|
Has he gone?
|
||||
all day
the whole day how long since for |
action began in the past and has just stopped
how long the action has been happening emphasis: length of time of an action |
have/has + been + infinitive + -ing
|
I have been working.
|
I haven't been working.
|
Have I been working?
|
|
He has been working.
|
He hasn't been working.
|
Has he been working?
|
||||
I have been going.
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I haven't been going.
|
Have I been going?
|
||||
He has been going.
|
He hasn't been going.
|
Has he been going?
|
||||
already
just never |
mostly when two actions in a story are related to each
other: the action which had already happened is put into Past Perfect, the
other action into Simple Past
the past of the Present Perfect |
had + past participle*
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs) |
I had worked.
|
I hadn't worked.
|
Had I worked?
|
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He had worked.
|
He hadn't worked.
|
Had he worked?
|
||||
I had gone.
|
I hadn't gone.
|
Had I gone?
|
||||
He had gone.
|
He hadn't gone.
|
Had he gone?
|
||||
how long
since for |
how long something had been happening before something
else happened
|
had + been + infinitive
+ ing
|
I had been working.
|
I hadn't been working.
|
Had I been working?
|
|
He had been working.
|
He hadn't been working.
|
Had he been working?
|
||||
I had been going.
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I hadn't been going.
|
Had I been going?
|
||||
He had been going.
|
He hadn't been going.
|
Had he been going?
|
||||
|
predictions about the future (you think that sth. will
happen)
you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of speaking, you haven't made a decision before main clause in type I of the if clauses |
will + infinitive
|
I'll work.
|
I won't work.
|
Will I work?
|
|
He'll work.
|
He won't work.
|
Will he work?
|
||||
I'll go.
|
I won't go.
|
Will I go?
|
||||
He'll go.
|
He won't go.
|
Will he go?
|
||||
|
when you have already decided to do sth. in the future
what you think what will happen |
be (am/are/is) + going to + infinitive
|
I'm going to work.
|
I'm not going to work.
|
Am I going to work?
|
|
He's going to work.
|
He's not going to work.
|
Is he going to work?
|
||||
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 at a certain time in the
future. This action has begun before the certain time.
Something happens because it normally happens. |
will + be + infinitive + ing
|
I'll be working.
|
I won't be working.
|
Will I be working?
|
|
He'll be working.
|
He won't be working.
|
Will he be working?
|
||||
I'll be going.
|
I won't be going.
|
Will I be going?
|
||||
He'll be going.
|
He won't be going.
|
Will he be going?
|
||||
|
sth. will already have happened before a certain time in
the future
|
will + have + past participle*
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs) |
I'll have worked.
|
I won't have worked.
|
Will I have worked?
|
|
He'll have worked.
|
He won't have worked.
|
Will he have worked?
|
||||
I'll have gone.
|
I won't have gone.
|
Will I have gone?
|
||||
He'll have gone.
|
He won't have gone.
|
Will he have gone?
|
||||
|
sth. will already have happened before a certain time in
the future
emphasis: length of time of an action |
will + have + been
+ infinitive + ing
|
I'll have been working.
|
I won't have been working.
|
Will I have been working?
|
|
He'll have been working.
|
He won't have been working.
|
Will he have been working?
|
||||
I'll have been going.
|
I won't have been going.
|
Will I have been working?
|
||||
He'll have been going.
|
He won't have been going.
|
Will he have been working?
|
||||
|
sth. that might happen
main clause in type II of the Conditional sentences |
would + infinitive
|
I would work.
|
I wouldn't
work. |
Would I
work? |
|
He would work.
|
He wouldn't work.
|
Would he
work? |
||||
I would go.
|
I wouldn't go.
|
Would I go?
|
||||
He would go.
|
He wouldn't
go. |
Would he
go? |
||||
Conditional Progressive
or Conditional Continuous |
|
sth. that might happen
emphasis: length of time of an action |
would + be + infinitive + ing
|
I would be working.
|
I wouldn't be working.
|
Would I be working?
|
He would be working.
|
He wouldn't be working.
|
Would he be working?
|
||||
I would be going.
|
I wouldn't be going.
|
Would I be going?
|
||||
He would be going.
|
He wouldn't be going.
|
Would he be going?
|
||||
|
sth. that might have happened in the past
(It's too late now.) main clause in type III of the if clauses |
would + have + past participle*
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs) |
I would have worked.
|
I wouldn't have worked.
|
Would I have worked?
|
|
He would have worked.
|
He wouldn't have worked.
|
Would he have worked?
|
||||
I would have gone.
|
I wouldn't have gone.
|
Would I have gone?
|
||||
He would have gone.
|
He wouldn't have gone.
|
Would I have gone?
|
||||
Conditional Perfect
Progressive or Conditional Perfect Continuous |
|
sth. that might have happened in the past
(It's too late now.) emphasis: length of time of an action |
would + have + been
+ infinitive + ing
|
I would have been working.
|
I wouldn't have been working.
|
Would I have been working?
|
He would
have been going. |
He wouldn't have been going.
|
Would he
have been working? |
||||
I would have been going.
|
I wouldn't have been going.
|
Would I have been going?
|
||||
He would have been going.
|
He wouldn't have been going.
|
Would he
have been 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 tenses as there are no definite ones. Always remember what action is described.
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