GRAMMAR

English Tenses

Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).

Tense	Signal words	Use	Form	Examples affirmative	Examples negative	Examples interrogative
Simple Present or Present Simple	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.	I don'twork.	Do I work?
				He works.	He doesn'twork.	Does he work?
				I go.	I don't go.	Do I go?
				He goes.	He doesn'tgo.	Does he go?
Present Progressive or Present Continuous	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'mworking.	I'm notworking.	Am Iworking?
				He'sworking.	He isn'tworking.	Is he working?
				I'm going.	I'm notgoing.	Am I going?
				He's going.	He isn'tgoing.	Is he going?
Simple Past or Past Simple	last ... ... ago in 1990 yesterday	action finished 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'twork.	Did I work?
				He worked.	He didn'twork.	Did he work?
				I went.	I didn'tgo.	Did I go?
				He went.	He didn'tgo.	Did he go?
Past Progressive or Past Continuous	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 wasworking.	I wasn'tworking.	Was Iworking?
				He wasworking.	He wasn'tworking.	Was he working?
				I was going.	I wasn'tgoing.	Was I going?
				He wasgoing.	He wasn'tgoing.	Was he going?
Simple Present Perfect or Present Perfect	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*	I haveworked.	I haven'tworked.	Have Iworked?
				He hasworked.	He hasn'tworked.	Has he worked?
				I havegone.	I haven'tgone.	Have I gone?
				He hasgone.	He hasn'tgone.	Has he gone?
Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous	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 beenworking.	I haven'tbeenworking.	Have I beenworking?
				He hasbeenworking.	He hasn'tbeenworking.	Has he beenworking?
				I have beengoing.	I haven'tbeengoing.	Have I beengoing?
				He hasbeen going.	He hasn'tbeengoing.	Has he beengoing?
Simple Past Perfect or Past Perfect (Simple)	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 Present Perfect	had + past participle*	I hadworked.	I hadn'tworked.	Had Iworked?
				He hadworked.	He hadn'tworked.	Had he worked?
				I had gone.	I hadn'tgone.	Had I gone?
				He hadgone.	He hadn'tgone.	Had he gone?
Past Perfect Progressive or Past Perfect Continuous	how long since for	how long something had been happening before something else happened	had + been+ infinitive+ ing	I had beenworking.	I hadn'tbeenworking.	Had I beenworking?
				He hadbeenworking.	He hadn'tbeenworking.	Had he beenworking?
				I had beengoing.	I hadn'tbeengoing.	Had I beengoing?
				He hadbeen going.	He hadn'tbeengoing.	Had he beengoing?
will - future		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'twork.	Will I work?
				He'll work.	He won'twork.	Will he work?
				I'll go.	I won'tgo.	Will I go?
				He'll go.	He won'tgo.	Will he go?
going to - future		when you have already decided to do sth. in the future what you think what will happen	to be (am/are/is)+ going to + infinitive	I'm going to work.	I'm notgoing to work.	Am I going to work?
				He's going to work.	He's notgoing to work.	Is he going to work?
				I'm going to go.	I'm notgoing to go.	Am I going to go?
				He's going to go.	He's notgoing to go.	Is he going to go?
Future Progressive or Future Continuous		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 beworking.	I won't beworking.	Will I beworking?
				He'll beworking.	He won'tbeworking.	Will he beworking?
				I'll begoing.	I won't begoing.	Will I begoing?
				He'll begoing.	He won'tbe going.	Will he begoing?
Simple Future Perfect or Future Perfect Simple		sth. will already have happened before a certain time in the future	will + have+ past participle*	I'll haveworked.	I won'thaveworked.	Will I haveworked?
				He'll haveworked.	He won'thaveworked.	Will he haveworked?
				I'll havegone.	I won'thavegone.	Will I havegone?
				He'll havegone.	He won'thavegone.	Will he havegone?
Future Perfect Progressive or Future Perfect Continuous		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 beenworking.	I won'thave beenworking.	Will I havebeenworking?
				He'll havebeenworking.	He won'thave beenworking.	Will he havebeenworking?
				I'll havebeen going.	I won'thave beengoing.	Will I havebeenworking?
				He'll havebeen going.	He won'thave beengoing.	Will he havebeenworking?
Conditional Simple		sth. that might happen main clause in type II of the Conditional sentences	would + infinitive	I wouldwork.	I wouldn'twork.	Would I work?
				He wouldwork.	He wouldn'twork.	Would he work?
				I would go.	I wouldn'tgo.	Would I go?
				He wouldgo.	He wouldn'tgo.	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 beworking.	I wouldn'tbeworking.	Would I beworking?
				He would beworking.	He wouldn'tbeworking.	Would he beworking?
				I would begoing.	I wouldn'tbe going.	Would I begoing?
				He would be going.	He wouldn'tbe going.	Would he begoing?
Conditional Perfect		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*	I would haveworked.	I wouldn'thaveworked.	Would I haveworked?
				He would haveworked.	He wouldn'thaveworked.	Would he haveworked?
				I would have gone.	I wouldn'thavegone.	Would I havegone?
				He would have gone.	He wouldn'thavegone.	Would I havegone?
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 beenworking.	I wouldn'thave beenworking.	Would I havebeenworking?
				He would have beengoing.	He wouldn'thave beengoing.	Would he have beenworking?
				I would have beengoing.	I wouldn'thave beengoing.	Would I havebeen going?
				He would have beengoing.	He wouldn'thave beengoing.	Would he have beengoing?