Table of English Tenses PDF

Table of English Tenses Examples Examples Examples Tense Signal words Use Form...

Table of English Tenses Examples Examples Examples Tense Signal words Use Form affirmative negative interrogative something happens I work. I don't work. Do I work? every day repeatedly Does he He works. He doesn't work. how often something work? sometimes happens I go. I don't go. Do I go? always one action follows Simple another often Present infinitive he/she/it or things in general + -s usually Present Simple seldom after the following He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go? verbs (to love, to never hate, to think, etc.) first... then future meaning: timetables, programmes something is Am I I'm working. I'm not working. now happening at the working? same time of speaking or around it Is he Present at the moment He's working. He isn't working. to be (am/are/is) + working? Progressive or Present Continuous Look! future meaning: when infinitive + -ing I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going? you have already Listen! decided and arranged to do it (a He's going. He isn't going. Is he going? fixed plan, date) last... action took place in I worked. I didn't work. Did I work? Simple regular: the past, mostly He worked. He didn't work. Did he work? Past... ago infinitive + -ed connected with an or irregular: expression of time (no I went. I didn't go. Did I go? Past in 1990 2nd column of table connection to the Simple of irregular verbs present) He went. He didn't go. Did he go? yesterday an action happened in Was I I was working. I wasn't working. the middle of another working? action Past Was he was/were + He was working. He wasn't working. Progressive or while someone was doing working? infinitive + -ing Past Continuous sth. at a certain time I was going. I wasn't going. Was I going? (in the past) - you do not know whether it Was he He was going. He wasn't going. was finished or not going? just Have I I have worked. I haven't worked. worked? yet Has he He has worked. He hasn't worked. never worked? you say that sth. has happened or is I have gone. I haven't gone. Have I gone? ever have/has + past Simple finished in the past participle* Present and it has a Perfect already connection to the *(infinitive + -ed) or or present so far, (3rd column of Present table of irregular Perfect action started in the up to now, verbs) past and continues up He has gone. He hasn't gone. Has he gone? to the present since for recently all day action began in the I have been I haven't been Have I been past and has just working. working. working? Present Perfect the whole day stopped He has been He hasn't been Has he been Progressive or working. working. working? have/has + been + Present how long how long the action infinitive + -ing Perfect has been happening I haven't been Have I been I have been going. Continuous since going. going? emphasis: length of for time of an action He hasn't been Has he been He has been going. going. going? mostly when two Had I I had worked. I hadn't worked. actions in a story are worked? Simple related to each other: had + past Past already the action which had participle* Had he He had worked. He hadn't worked. Perfect already happened is worked? or just put into Past Perfect, *(infinitive + -ed) or I had gone. I hadn't gone. Had I gone? Past the other action into (3rd column of Perfect never Simple Past table of irregular (Simple) verbs) He had gone. He hadn't gone. Had he gone? the past of the Present Perfect  I hadn't been Had I been I had 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 else infinitive + ing Had I been Continuous happened I had been going. I hadn't been going. for 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 that sth. will happen) He'll work. He won't work. Will he work? I'll go. I won't go. Will I go? you decide to do sth. will - future spontaneously at the will + infinitive time of speaking, you haven't made a decision before He'll go. He won't go. Will he go? main clause in type I of the if clauses I'm not going to Am I going to I'm going to work. work. work? when you have already decided to do He's not going to Is he going He's going to work. sth. in the future be (am/are/is) + work. to work? going to - future going to + infinitive Am I going to what you think what I'm going to go. I'm not going to go. go? will happen He's not going to Is he going He's going to go. go. to go? An action will be in Will I be I'll be working. I won't be working. progress at a certain working? time in the future. This action has begun He won't be Will he be He'll be working. Future Progressive or before the certain will + be + infinitive working. working? Future Continuous time. + ing Will I be I'll be going. I won't be going. going? Something happens because it normally Will he be He'll be going. He won't be going. happens. going? I won't have Will I have I'll have worked. will + have + past worked. worked? Simple participle* He won't have Will he have Future sth. will already have He'll have worked. Perfect happened before a worked. worked? *(infinitive + -ed) or or certain time in the (3rd column of Will I have Future Perfect future I'll have gone. I won't have gone. table of irregular gone? Simple verbs) Will he have He'll have gone. He won't have gone. gone? Will I have I'll have been I won't have been been working. working. working? sth. will already have Future happened before a Will he have He'll have been He won't have been Perfect certain time in the been working. working. Progressive or future will + have + been working? Future + infinitive + ing Will I have Perfect I won't have been I'll have been going. been Continuous emphasis: length of going. working? time of an action Will he have He'll have been He won't have been been going. going. 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 II I would go. I wouldn't go. Would I go? of the if-clauses He wouldn't Would he He would go. go. go? I wouldn't be Would I be I would be working. working. working? Conditional sth. that might He would be He wouldn't be Would he be Progressive happen working. working. working? would + be + or infinitive + ing Conditional emphasis: length of Would I be I would be going. I wouldn't be going. Continuous time of an action going? He wouldn't be Would he be He would be going. going. going? Conditional Perfect sth. that might have would + have + I would have I wouldn't have Would I have happened in the past past participle* worked. worked. worked? (It's too late now.) *(infinitive + -ed) or He would have Would he He wouldn't have main clause in type III (3rd column of have worked. worked. of the if clauses table of irregular worked? verbs) I would have gone. I wouldn't have Would I have  gone. gone? He would have He wouldn't have Would I have gone. gone. gone? Would I have I would have been I wouldn't have been working. been working. working? Conditional Perfect sth. that might have Would he Progressive happened in the past He would He wouldn't have would + have + have been or (It's too late now.) have been going. been going. been + infinitive + working? Conditional ing Perfect emphasis: length of I would have been I wouldn't have Would I have Continuous time of an action going. been going. been going? Would he He would have been He wouldn't have have been going. been going. going?