Summary of English Tenses

Examples Examples Examples

Tense Signal words Use Form
affirmative negative interrogative
every day

sometimes
 something happens repeatedly
always  how often something happens I work. I don't work. Do I work?
 one action follows another
often  things in general infinitive
He works. He doesn't work. Does he work?
Simple  with verbs like (to love, to
Present hate, to think, etc.) he/she/it:
usually I go. I don't go. Do I go?
 future meaning: timetables, infinitive + s
programmes
seldom He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?

never

first ... then

now  something is happening at the I'm working. I'm not working. Am I working?
same time of speaking or around
at the moment it He's working. He isn't working. Is he working?
Present  future meaning: when you be (am/are/is) +
Progressive have already decided and infinitive + ing
Look! I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going?
arranged to do it (a fixed
plan, date)
Listen! He's going. He isn't going. Is he going?
last ... I worked. He I didn't work. He Did I work?
regular:
... ago in action took place in the past, mostly infinitive + ed
Simple worked.I didn't work.I Did he work?
connected with an expression of time
Past (no connectionto the present) irregular:
1990 (2nd column of tableof went. didn't go. Did I go?
irregular verbs)
yesterday He went. He didn't go. Did he go?
 Summary of English Tenses

 an action happened in the I was working. I wasn't working. Was I working?

middle of another action
Past  someone was doing sth. at a was/were +
He was working. He wasn't working. Was he working?
while certain time (in the past) - youdon't infinitive + ing
Progressive
know whether it was finished or I was going. I wasn't going. Was I going?
not
He was going. He wasn't going. Was he going?
just

yet

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

since

for

recently
I have been I haven't been Have I been
all day working. working. working?
 action began in the past andhas
the whole day just stopped He has been He hasn't been Has he been
Present Perfect  how long the action has been have/has + been + working. working. working?
Progressive how long happening infinitive + ing

since I have been going. I haven't been going. Have I been going?
emphasis: length of time of anaction

for He has been He hasn't been Has he been

going. going. going?
 Summary of English Tenses

 mostly when two actions in a I had worked. He I hadn't worked. He Had I worked?
story are related to each other: had + past
already participle*
the action which had already
Simple Past had worked.I had hadn't worked.I Had he worked?
happened is put intoPast
Perfect just *(infinitive + ed) or (3rd
Perfect, the other actioninto
Simple Past column of tableof gone. hadn't gone. Had I gone?
never
 the past of the Present Perfect irregular verbs)
He had gone. He hadn't gone. Had he gone?
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

how long something had been
Past Perfect happening before something else had + been + working. working. working?
Progressive since infinitive + ing
happened
I had been going. I hadn't been going. Had I been going?
for
He had been He hadn't been Had he been
going. going. going?
 predictions about the future
(you think that sth will happen) I'll work. I won't work. Will I work?
 you decide to do sth.
spontaneously at the time of He'll work. He won't work. Will he work?
will - future speaking will + infinitive
 main clause in type I of the I'll go. I won't go. Will I go?
Conditional sentences
He'll go. He won't go. Will he go?

I'm going to I'm not going to Am I going to

work. work. work?
 when you have already decided to
do sth. in the future He's going to He's not going to Is he going to
going to -  what you think what will be (am/are/is) +
work. work. work?
future happen going to + infinitive
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?

 Summary of English Tenses

 An action will be in progress ata I'll be working. I won't be working. Will I be working?
certain time in the future. This
action has begun before the certain will + be + infinitive He'll be working. He won't be working. Will he be working?
Future
Progressive time. + ing
 Something happens because it I'll be going. I won't be going. Will I be going?
normally happens.
He'll be going. He won't be going. Will he be going?
I'll have worked. I won't have worked. Will I have worked?
will + have + past
Future Perfect participle* He'll have He won't have Will he have
Simple sth. will already have happened before a worked. worked. worked?
certain time in the future *(infinitive + ed) or (3rd
column of tableof I'll have gone. I won't have gone. Will I have gone?
irregular verbs)
He'll have gone. He won't have gone. Will he have gone?
I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been
working. working. working?

sth. will already have happened before a He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been
Future certain time in the future working. working. working?
will + have + been +
Perfect infinitive + ing
Progressive emphasis: length of time of anaction I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been
going. going. going?

He'll have been He won't have beengoing. Will he have been

going. going?
I would work. I wouldn't work. Would I work?
 sth. that might happen
 main clause in type II of the He would work. He wouldn't work. Would he work?
Conditional
Conditional sentences would + infinitive
Simple
I would go. I wouldn't go. Would I go?

He would go. He wouldn't go. Would he go?

 Summary of English Tenses

I would be I wouldn't be Would I be

working. working. working?

sth. that might happen He would be He wouldn't be Would he be

Conditional would + be + working. working. working?
Progressive emphasis: length of time of anaction infinitive + ing
I would be going. I wouldn't be going. Would I be going?

He would be He wouldn't be Would he be

going. going. going?
I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
worked. worked. worked?

 sth. that might have happenedin would + have + past

He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
the past participle*
Conditional worked. worked. worked?
 main clause in type III of the
Perfect *(infinitive + ed) or (3rd
Conditional sentences I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
column of tableof
gone. gone. gone?
irregular verbs)
He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
gone. gone. gone?
I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been
working. working. working?

sth. that might have happened inthe He would have He wouldn't have Would he
Conditional past been working. been working. have been working?
would + have + been
Perfect + infinitive + ing
Progressive emphasis: length of time of anaction I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been
going. going. going?

He would have He wouldn't have Would he

been going. been going. 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. Always remember what action is described.
Used colours:
blue → infinitive grey → irregular verbs in the Simple Past red → negation
dark green → auxiliary purple → past participle
orange → ending light green → signal word