Tense

Signal words

Use

Form

Examples affirmative

Examples negative

Examples interrogative

Present Simple

every day
sometimes
always
often
usually
seldom
never
first ... then

something happens repeatedly

how often something happens

one action follows another

things in general

after the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.)

future meaning: timetables, programmes

infinitive he/she/it + -s

I work.
He works.
I go.
He goes.

I don't work.
He doesn't work.
I don't go.
He doesn't go.

Do I work?
Does he work?
Do I go?
Does he go?

Present Continuous

now
at the moment
Look!
Listen!

something is happening at the same time of speaking or around it

future meaning: when you have already decided and arranged to do it (a fixed plan, date)

to be (am/are/is) + infinitive + -ing

I'm working.
He's working.
I'm going.
He's going.

I'm not working.
He isn't working.
I'm not going.
He isn't going.

Am I working?
Is he working?
Am I going?
Is he going?

Past Simple

last ...
... ago
in 1990
yesterday

action took place in the past, mostly connected with an expression of time (no connection to the present)

regular: infinitive + -ed

irregular: 2nd column of table of irregular verbs

I worked.
He worked.
I went.
He went.

I didn't work.
He didn't work.
I didn't go.
He didn't go.

Did I work?
Did he work?
Did I go?
Did he go?

Past Continuous

while

an action happened in the middle of another action

someone was doing sth. at a certain time (in the past) - you do not know whether it was finished or not

was/were + infinitive + -ing

I was working.
He was working.
I was going.
He was going.

I wasn't working.
He wasn't working.
I wasn't going.
He wasn't going.

Was I working?
Was he working?
Was I going?
Was he going?

Present Perfect

just
yet
never
ever
already
so far,
up to now,
since
for
recently

you say that sth. has happened or is finished in the past and it has a connection to the present

action started in the past and continues up to the present

have/has + past participle*
*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs)

I have worked.
He has worked.
I have gone.
He has gone.

I haven't worked.
He hasn't worked.
I haven't gone.
He hasn't gone.

Have I worked?
Has he worked?
Have I gone?
Has he gone?

Present Perfect Continuous

all day
the whole day
how long
since
for

action began in the past and has just stopped

how long the action has been happening

emphasis: length of time of an action

have/has + been + infinitive + -ing

I have been working.
He has been working.
I have been going.
He has been going.

I haven't been working.
He hasn't been working.
I haven't been going.
He hasn't been going.

Have I been working?
Has he been working?
Have I been going?
Has he been going?

Past Perfect

already
just
never

mostly when two actions in a story are related to each other: the action which had already happened is put into Past Perfect, the other action into Simple Past

the past of the Present Perfect

had + past participle*

*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs)

I had worked.
He had worked.
I had gone.
He had gone.

I hadn't worked.
He hadn't worked.
I hadn't gone.
He hadn't gone.

Had I worked?
Had he worked?
Had I gone?
Had he gone?

Past Perfect Continuous

how long
since
for

how long something had been happening before something else happened

had + been + infinitive + ing

I had been working.
He had been working.
I had been going.
He had been going.

I hadn't been working.
He hadn't been working.
I hadn't been going.
He hadn't been going.

Had I been working?
Had he been working?
Had I been going?
Had he been going?

Will- future

tomorrow
next + noun

predictions about the future (you think that sth. will happen)

you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of speaking, you haven't made a decision before

main clause in type I of the if clauses

will + infinitive

I'll work.
He'll work.
I'll go.
He'll go.

I won't work.
He won't work.
I won't go.
He won't go.

Will I work?
Will he work?
Will I go?
Will he go?

Going to- future

when you have already decided to do sth. in the future

what you think what will happen

be (am/are/is) + going to + infinitive

I'm going to work.
He's going to work.
I'm going to go.
He's going to go.

I'm not going to work.
He's not going to work.
I'm not going to go.
He's not going to go.

Am I going to work?
Is he going to work?
Am I going to go?
Is he going to go?

Future Continuous

An action will be in progress at a certain time in the future. This action has begun before the certain time.

Something happens because it normally happens.

will + be + infinitive + ing

I'll be working.
He'll be working.
I'll be going.
He'll be going.

I won't be working.
He won't be working.
I won't be going.
He won't be going.

Will I be working?
Will he be working?
Will I be going?
Will he be going?

Future Perfect

by the +noun

sth. will already have happened before a certain time in the future

will + have + past participle*

*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of irregular verbs)

I'll have worked.
He'll have worked.
I'll have gone.

I won't have worked.
He won't have worked.
I won't have gone.

Will I have worked?
Will he have worked?
Will I have?