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