tenses_table

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Tense Signal words Use Form Examples Examples Examples
every day affirmative negative interrogative
Simple sometimes
Present always something happens repeatedly
often
Present usually how often something happens
Progressive seldom
never one action follows another Infinitive I work. I don't work. Do I work?
Simple first ... then he/she/it + -s He works. He doesn't work. Does he work?
Past now things in general I go. I don't go. Do I go?
at the moment He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?
Look! after the following verbs (to love,
Listen! to hate, to think, etc.)
last ...
... ago future meaning: timetables,
in 1990 programmes
yesterday
something is happening at the I'm working. I'm not working. Am I working?
same time of speaking or around it He's working. He isn't working. Is he working?
I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going?
to be (am/are/is) + He's going. He isn't going. Is he going?
future meaning: when you have Infinitive + ing I didn't work. Did I work?
already decided and arranged to He didn't work. Did he work?
do it (a fixed plan, date) I didn't go. Did I go?
He didn't go. Did he go?
action took place in the past, regular: I worked.
mostly connected with an Infinitive + -ed He worked.
expression of time (no connection I went.
to the present) irregular: He went.
2. Spalte

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

just

yet

never

ever you say that sth. has happened or have/has + past I have worked. I haven't worked. Have I worked?
is finished in the past and it has a participle* He has worked. He hasn’t worked. Has he worked?
Simple already connection to the present I haven't gone. Have I gone?
Present so far, *(infinitive + -ed) or I have gone. He hasn’t gone. Has he gone?
Perfect action started in the past and (3rd column of table He has gone.
continues up to the present of irregular verbs)
up to now,

since

for

recently

all day action began in the past and has I have been I haven't been Have I been
just stopped working. working. working?

Present Perfect the whole day how long the action has been have/has + been + He has been He hasn't been Has he been
Progressive how long happening Infinitive + -ing working. working. working?
since
I have been going. I haven't been going. Have I been going?

for emphasis: length of time of an He has been He hasn't been Has he been
action going. going. going?

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

Past Perfect how long how long something had been had + been + He had been He hadn't been Had he been
Progressive since happening before something else Infinitive + ing working. working. working?
for happened
I had been going. I hadn't been going. Had I been going?

predictions about the future (you He had been He hadn't been Had he been
think that sth will happen) going. 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.
will - future you decide to do sth. will + Infinitive
He'll go.
spontaneously at the time of I'm going to I won't go. Will I go?
work.
speaking, you haven't made a main

clause in type I of the if clauses He won't go. Will he go?

I'm not going to Am I going to
work. work?

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

what you think what will happen 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?

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An action will be in progress at a I'll be working. I won't be working. Will I be working?

certain time in the future. This

Future action has begun before the certain will + be + Infinitive He'll be working. He won't be working. Will he be working?
Progressive
time. + ing
Future Perfect
Simple I'll be going. I won't be going. Will I be going?

Future Something happens because it
Perfect
Progressive normally happens. He'll be going. He won't be going. Will he be going?
I won't have worked. Will I have worked?
Conditional I'll have worked.
Simple sth. will already have happened will + have + past He won't have Will he have
before a certain time in the future participle* He'll have worked. worked?
worked.
*(infinitive + -ed) or I won't have gone. Will I have gone?
(3rd column of table I'll have gone.
of 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 He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been
before a certain time in the future
working. working. working?
emphasis: length of time of an will + have + been +
action
Infinitive + ing I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been
going. working?
going.

He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been
going. going. working?
I would work.
I wouldn't work. Would I work?
He would work.
sth. that might happen He wouldn't work. Would he work?
I would go.
main clause in type II of the if would + Infinitive
clauses He would go.
I wouldn't go. Would I work?

He wouldn't go. Would he work?

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I would be I wouldn't be Would I be
working. working. working?

Conditional sth. that might happen would + be + He would be He wouldn't be Would he be
Progressive Infinitive + ing working. working. working?
emphasis: length of time of an
Conditional action I would be going. I wouldn't be going. Would I be going?
Perfect
He would be He wouldn't be Would he be
Conditional going. going. going?
Perfect
Progressive I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
worked. worked. worked?

sth. that might have happened in would + have + past He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
the past participle* worked. worked. worked?
(It's too late now.)
main clause in type III of the if *(infinitive + -ed) or I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
clauses (3rd column of table gone. gone. gone?
of irregular verbs)
sth. that might have happened in
the past He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
(It's too late now.) gone. gone. gone?
emphasis: length of time of an
action I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been

working. working. working?

He would have He wouldn't have Would he
been going. have been working?
been going.
would + have + been

+ Infinitive + ing 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.

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