English Tenses

Examples
Tense Signal words Use Form Examples Examples
interrogativ
‫ا‬ ‫ا‬ affirmative negative
e
something happens I work. I don't work. Do I work?
repeatedly
every day He works. He doesn't work. Does he work?
how often something I go. I don't go. Do I go?
sometimes
happens
always
one action follows
Simple another
often
Present infinitive
or things in general he/she/it + -s
usually
Present Simple
after the following He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?
seldom
verbs (to love, to
hate, to think, etc.)
never
future meaning:
first ... then
timetables,
programmes
now something is I'm working. I'm not working. Am I working?
happening at the
Present at the moment same time of He's working. He isn't working. Is he working?
to be (am/are/is)
Progressive or speaking or around I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going?
+ infinitive + -ing
Present Continuous Look! it
He's going. He isn't going. Is he going?
Listen! future meaning:
 when you have
already decided
and arranged to do
last ... I worked. I didn't work. Did I work?
action took place in regular:
Simple
the past, mostly infinitive + -ed He worked. He didn't work. Did he work?
Past ... ago
connected with an irregular:
or I went. I didn't go. Did I go?
expression of time 2nd column of
Past in 1990 / 1982 …
(no connection to table of irregular
Simple
the present) verbs He went. He didn't go. Did he go?
yesterday
an action happened I was working. I wasn't working. Was I working?
in the middle of
another action He wasn't Was he
He was working.
Past working. working?
was/were +
Progressive or while someone was doing I was going. I wasn't going. Was I going?
infinitive + -ing
Past Continuous sth. at a certain time
(in the past) - you
do not know whether He was going. He wasn't going. Was he going?
it was finished or not
just I have worked. I haven't worked. Have I worked?

yet He has worked. He hasn't worked. Has he worked?

you say that sth. has I have gone. I haven't gone. Have I gone?
never
happened or is He has gone. He hasn't gone. Has he gone?
have/has + past
Simple finished in the past
ever participle*
Present and it has a
Perfect connection to the
already *(infinitive + -ed)
or present
or (3rd column of
Present
so far, table of irregular
Perfect action started in the
verbs)
past and continues
up to now,
up to the present
since

for
 action began in the I have been I haven't been Have I been
all day
past and has just working. working. working?
stopped
Present Perfect the whole day He has been He hasn't been Has he been
Progressive or working. working. working?
how long the action have/has + been
Present how long
has been happening + infinitive + -ing I haven't been Have I been
Perfect I have been going.
Continuous since going. going?
emphasis: length
of time of an He hasn't been Has he been
for He has been going.
action going. going?

mostly when two I had worked. I hadn't worked. Had I worked?

actions in a story are
related to each Had he
Simple had + past He had worked. He hadn't worked.
other: the action worked?
Past already participle*
which had already I had gone. I hadn't gone. Had I gone?
Perfect
happened is put into
or just *(infinitive + -ed)
Past Perfect, the
Past or (3rd column of
other action into
Perfect never table of irregular
Simple Past
(Simple) verbs) He had gone. He hadn't gone. Had he gone?
the past of the
Present Perfect
I had been I hadn't been Had I been
working. working. working?
how long He had been He hadn't been Had he been
Past Perfect how long something
Progressive or had been happening had + been + working. working. working?
since
Past Perfect before something infinitive + ing I hadn't been Had I been
Continuous else happened I had been going.
for going. going?
He hadn't been Had he been
He had been going.
going. going?

predictions about the I'll work. I won't work. Will I work?

future (you think
will - future   will + infinitive He'll work. He won't work. Will he work?
that sth. will
happen) I'll go. I won't go. Will I go?
 He'll go. He won't go. Will he go?

you decide to do sth.

spontaneously at the
time of speaking,
you haven't made a
I'm not going to Am I going to
I'm going to work.
work. work?
When you have
already decided to He's going to He's not going to Is he going to
be (am/are/is) + work. work. work?
do sth. in the future
going to - future   going to +
infinitive I'm not going to Am I going to
what you think what I'm going to go.
go. go?
will happen
He's not going to Is he going to
He's going to go.
go. go?
An action will be in I won't be Will I be
I'll be working.
progress at a certain working. working?
time in the future.
This action has He won't be Will he be
Future Progressive He'll be working.
begun before the will + be + working. working?
or  
certain time. infinitive + ing I'll be going. I won't be going. Will I be going?
Future Continuous
Something happens
Will he be
because it normally He'll be going. He won't be going.
going?
happens.
I won't have Will I have
I'll have worked.
worked. worked?
will + have + past
Simple
participle* He won't have Will he have
Future sth. will already He'll have worked.
Perfect have happened worked. worked?
  *(infinitive + -ed)
or before a certain time Will I have
or (3rd column of I'll have gone. I won't have gone.
Future Perfect in the future gone?
table of irregular
Simple
verbs)
He won't have Will he have
He'll have gone.
gone. gone?
 I'll have been I won't have been Will I have
sth. will already
working. working. been working?
have happened
Future
before a certain time He'll have been He won't have Will he have
Perfect
in the future
Progressive or will + have + been working. been working. been working?
 
Future + infinitive + ing I'll have been I won't have been Will I have
Perfect going. going. been working?
emphasis: length
Continuous
of time of an
He'll have been He won't have Will he have
action
going. been going. been working?
I wouldn't Would I
I would work.
work. work?
sth. that might
happen Would he
He would work. He wouldn't work.
Conditional Simple   would + infinitive work?
main clause in type I would go. I wouldn't go. Would I go?
II of the if clauses
He wouldn't Would he
He would go.
go. go?
I would be I wouldn't be Would I be
working. working. working?
sth. that might
Conditional He would be He wouldn't be Would he be
happen
Progressive working. working. working?
would + be +
or  
emphasis: length infinitive + ing I wouldn't be Would I be
Conditional I would be going.
of time of an going. going?
Continuous
action
He wouldn't be Would he be
He would be going.
going. going?
I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
worked. worked. worked?
would + have +
sth. that might have
past participle* He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
happened in the past
(It's too late now.) worked. worked. worked?
Conditional Perfect   *(infinitive + -ed)
or (3rd column of I wouldn't have Would I have
main clause in type I would have gone.
table of irregular gone. gone?
III of the if clauses
verbs)
He would have He wouldn't have Would I have
gone. gone. gone?
 I would have been I wouldn't have Would I have
working. been working. been working?
sth. that might have Would he
Conditional Perfect He would He wouldn't have
happened in the past have been
Progressive have been going. been going.
(It's too late now.) would + have + working?
or
  been + infinitive +
Conditional I would have been I wouldn't have Would I have
emphasis: length ing
Perfect going. been going. been going?
of time of an
Continuous
action
Would he
He would have He wouldn't have
have been
been going. been going.
going?