Time Indicators for English Tenses

Time Indicators for English Tenses

• Present Simple Indicators: Used to express regular actions or facts.

  • Common time markers: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never.
  • Specific phrases indicate frequency: every day, once a week, twice a month.

• Present Continuous Indicators: Highlights ongoing actions happening at the moment of speaking.

  • Key signals include: now, right now, currently, today, these days.
  • Commands and exclamations also indicate this tense: "Listen!" or "Look!"

• Present Perfect Indicators: Connects past actions to the present.

  • Typical words: already, just, yet, ever, never, since, for.
  • Frequently used with specific time frames: recently, so far, in recent years.

• Present Perfect Continuous Indicators: Focuses on actions that started in the past and continue to the present.

  • Indicated by: for, since, lately, recently, all day, still.
  • Questions about duration: "How long...?"

• Past Simple Indicators: Describes completed actions at a specific time in the past.

  • Common expressions: yesterday, last (night/week/month), ago, in (year).

• Past Continuous Indicators: Describes actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past.

  • Frequently used phrases: while, when, as, suddenly, earlier today.

• Past Perfect Indicators: Refers to actions completed before another past action.

  • Time indicators include: before, after, by the time, already, just, when, ever since.