Tense

Signal
words

Use

Form

something
happens
repeatedly
every
day

Simple
Present
or
Present
Simple

how often
something
happens

Examples
affirmative

Examples
negative

Examples
interrogative

I work.

I don't work.

Do I work?

He works.

He doesn'twork.

Does hework?

I go.

I don't go.

Do I go?

He goes.

He doesn't go.

Does he go?

I'm working.

I'm not working. Am Iworking?

He's working.

He isn'tworking.

Is heworking?

I'm going.

I'm not going.

Am I going?

He's going.

He isn't going.

Is he going?

sometim
es
one action
follows
always
another
often
usually
seldom
never
first ...
then

things in
general

infinitive he/she/it + -s

with the
following
verbs (to
love, to
hate, to
think, etc.)
future
meaning:
timetables,
programmes

Present now
Progress
ive or
at the
Present moment
Continu
ous
Look!
Listen!

something is to be
happening
(am/are/is) +infinitive + at the same ing
time of
speaking or
around it
future
meaning:
when you
have
already deci

ded and
arranged to
action took
place in the
past, mostly
... ago
connected
with an
in 1990 expression
of time (no
yesterda connection
y
to the
present)
last ...
Simple
Past
or
Past
Simple

regular:
infinitive + -edirregular:
2nd column of table of
irregular verbs

an action
happened in
the middle
of another
action
Past
Progress
ive or
while
Past
Continu
ous

Simple
Present
Perfect
or
Present
Perfect

just
yet
never
ever
already

someone
was doing
was/were +infinitive + -ing
sth. at a
certain time
(in the past)
- you do not
know
whether it
was finished
or not
you say that
sth. has
happened or
is finished in
the past and
it has a
connection
to the
present

have/has + past participle*

*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd
column of table of irregular
verbs)

I worked.

I didn't work.

Did I work?

He worked.

He didn't work.

Did he work?

I went.

I didn't go.

Did I go?

He went.

He didn't go.

Did he go?

I was working.

I wasn'tworking
Was Iworking?
.

He wasworking.

He wasn'tworkin
Was heworking?
g.

I was going.

I wasn't going.

Was I going?

He was going.

He wasn'tgoing.

Was hegoing?

I have worked.

I haven'tworked
Have Iworked?
.

He has worked.

He hasn'tworked
Has heworked?
.

I have gone.

I haven't gone.

Have I gone?

He has gone.

He hasn't gone.

Has he gone?

so far,
up to
now,

all day
Present
Perfect
Progress
ive or
Present
Perfect
Continu
ous

the
whole
day
how
long
since
for

Simple
already
Past
Perfect
just
or
Past
never
Perfect
(Simple)

action
started in the
past and
continues up
to the
action
began in the
past and
has just
stopped
how long
the action
has been
happening

I have
beenworking.

I haven't
beenworking.

Have I beenworking
?

He has
beenworking.

He hasn't
beenworking.

Has he beenworking
?

I have
have/has +been + infinitive beengoing.
+ -ing

I haven't
beengoing.

Have I beengoing?

He has
beengoing.

He hasn't
beengoing.

Has he beengoing?

had + past participle*

I had worked.

I hadn'tworked.

Had Iworked?

*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd

column of table of irregular
verbs)

He had worked.

He hadn'tworke
d.

Had heworked?

I had gone.

I hadn't gone.

Had I gone?

He had gone.

He hadn't gone.

Had he gone?

emphasis:
length of
time of an
action
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
Past
Perfect
Progress
ive or
Past
Perfect
Continu
ous

how
long
since
for

how long
something
had been
happening
before
something
else
happened

had + been +infinitive + ing

predictions
about the
future (you
think that
sth. will
happen)

will future

you decide
to do sth.
spontaneous
ly at the
will + infinitive
time of
speaking,
you haven't
made a
decision
before

I had
beenworking.

I hadn't
beenworking.

Had I beenworking?

He had
beenworking.

He hadn't
beenworking.

Had he beenworking
?

I had
beengoing.

I hadn't
beengoing.

Had I beengoing?

He had
beengoing.

He hadn't
beengoing.

Had he beengoing?

I'll work.

I won't work.

Will I work?

He'll work.

He won't work.

Will hework?

I'll go.

I won't go.

Will I go?

He'll go.

He won't go.

Will he go?

I'm going
towork.

I'm not going

towork.

Am I going towork?

He's going
towork.

He's not going

to work.

main clause
in type I of
the if
clauses
going to
- future

when you
have
already
decided to

be (am/are/is)+ going
to +infinitive

Is he going towork?

do sth. in the
future

Future
Progress
ive or
Future
Continu
ous

An action
will be in
progress at
a certain
time in the
future. This
action has
begun
before the
certain
time.

I'm going to go.

I'm not going

togo.

Am I going togo?

He's going togo.

He's not going

to go.

Is he going togo?

I'll be working.

I won't
beworking.

Will I beworking?

He'll beworking.

He won't
beworking.

Will he beworking?

I'll be going.

I won't begoing. Will I begoing?

He'll be going.

He won't
begoing.

Will he begoing?

I'll haveworked.

I won't
haveworked.

Will I haveworked?

will + be +infinitive + ing

Something
happens
because it
normally
happens.
Simple
Future
Perfect
or
Future
Perfect
Simple

sth. will
already
have
happened
before a
certain time
in the future

Future
Perfect
Progress
ive or
Future
Perfect
Continu

I'll have
sth. will
beenworking.
already
have
will + have +been + infinitiv He'll have
happened
e+ ing
beenworking.
before a
certain time
I'll have beengo
in the future
ing.

will + have +past

participle*
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd
column of table of irregular
verbs)

He'll haveworke He won't

d.
haveworked.

Will he haveworked?

I'll have gone.

I won't
havegone.

Will I havegone?

He'll have gone.

He won't
havegone.

Will he havegone?

I won't have
been working.

Will I havebeenwork
ing?

He won't have
been working.

Will he havebeenwo
rking?

I won't
Will I havebeenwork
havebeen going. ing?

ous

He'll have been

going.

He won't
Will he havebeenwo
havebeen going. rking?

I would work.

I wouldn't
work.

Would I
work?

He would work.

He wouldn'twor
k.

Would he
work?

I would go.

I wouldn't go.

Would I go?

He would go.

He wouldn't
go.

Would he
go?

emphasis:

Conditio
nal
Simple

Conditio
nal
Progress
ive
or
Conditio
nal
Continu
ous

Conditio
nal
Perfect

Conditio
nal
Perfect

sth. that
might
happen
main clause
in type II of
the
Conditional
sentences

would +infinitive

sth. that
might
happen
emphasis:
length of
time of an
action

would + be +infinitive + ing

sth. that
might have
happened in
would + have +past
the past
participle*
(It's too late
now.)
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd
column of table of irregular
main clause
verbs)
in type III of
the if
clauses

I would beworki I wouldn't bewo

ng.
rking.

Would I beworking?

He would
beworking.

He wouldn't
beworking.

Would he beworking
?

I would
begoing.

I wouldn't
begoing.

Would I begoing?

He would
begoing.

He wouldn't
begoing.

Would he begoing?

I would
haveworked.

I wouldn't
haveworked.

Would I haveworked
?

He would
haveworked.

He wouldn't
have worked.

Would hehaveworke
d?

I would
havegone.

I wouldn't
havegone.

Would I havegone?

He would
havegone.

He wouldn't
have gone.

Would I havegone?

I wouldn't have
been working.

Would I havebeenw
orking?

He wouldn't

Would he

sth. that
would + have +been + infini I would have
might have tive+ ing
been working.
happened in
He would

Progressi
ve
or
Condition

the past
(It's too late
now.)

have
beengoing.

have beengoing. have beenworking?

I would have
been going.

I wouldn't have
been going.

He would have
been going.

He wouldn't
Would he
have beengoing. have beengoing?

Would I havebeen g
oing?