English Tenses

English tenses English tenses - Complex Test 1 Exercises - English tenses

Tense

Signal words

Use

Form

something happens repeatedly

Simple Present or Present Simple

how often every day something happens sometime s one action follows always another often usually seldom never first ... then

things in general

Examples affirmativ e

Example s negative

Examples interrogativ e

I work work..

I don't work.. work

Do I Do  I work work? ?

He work works s.

He doesn't work.. work

Does he Does he work? work ?

I go go..

I don't go.. go

Do I Do  I go go? ?

He go goes es..

He doesn't go.. go

Does he Does  he go go? ?

I'm working work ing..

I'm not I'm not working work ing..

Am I Am I work wor king ing? ?

He's working work ing..

He isn't working work ing..

Is he Is he working work ing? ?

I'm not going go ing..

Am I Am  I go going ing? ?

He's go He's going ing..

He isn't going go ing..

Is he Is  he go going ing? ?

I work worked ed..

I didn't work.. work

Did I Did  I work work? ?

He worked work ed..

He didn't work.. work

Did he Did he work? work ?

I went went..

I didn't go.. go

Did I Did  I go go? ?

He went went..

He didn't

Did he Did  he go go? ?

infinitive he/she/it + -s

after the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.) future meaning: timetables, programmes

now Present Progressiv at the e or moment Present Continuou Look! s Listen!

Simple Past or Past Simple

something is happening at the same time of speaking or around it future meaning: when you have already decided and arranged to arranged to do it (a fixed plan, date)

action took last ... place in the past, mostly ... ago connected with an in 1990 expression of time (no yesterday connection to the

to be I'm go going ing.. (am/are/is ) + infinitive + infinitive  + -ing

regular: infinitive + infinitive  + -ed irregular: 2nd column of table of irregular verbs

present)

go.

an action happened in the middle of another action Past Progressiv e or while Past Continuou s

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

never ever Simple Present Perfect or Present Perfect

already so far, up to now, since for

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

I wasn't working.

Was I working?

He was working.

He wasn't working.

Was he working?

I wasn't going.

Was I going?

He was going.

He wasn't going.

Was he going?

I have worked.

I haven't worked.

Have I worked?

He has worked.

He hasn't Has he worked. worked?

I have gone.

I haven't gone.

was/were I was + infinitive going. + -ing

 just yet

I was working.

have/has + past participle*

*(infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column of table of He has irregular gone. verbs)

Have I gone?

He hasn't Has he gone. gone?

recently

all day Present Perfect Progressiv e or Present Perfect Continuou s

Simple Past Perfect or Past Perfect (Simple)

action began in the past and has just stopped

the whole day how long the action has how long been happening since emphasis: for length of time of an action

already  just never

mostly when two actions in a story are related to each other: the action which had already

I have been working.

I haven't been working.

He has been working.

He hasn't Has he been been working? working.

have/has + been + infinitive + I have -ing been going.

I haven't been going.

Have I been working?

Have I been going?

He has been going.

He hasn't Has he been been going? going.

had + past participle*

I had worked.

I hadn't worked.

Had I worked?

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

He had worked.

He hadn't worked.

Had he worked?

I had gone.

I hadn't gone.

Had I gone?

happened is irregular put into Past verbs) Perfect, the other action into Simple Past

He had gone.

He hadn't gone.

Had he gone?

the past of the Present Perfect I hadn't I had been been working. working. Past Perfect how long Progressiv e or since Past Perfect for Continuou s

how long something had been happening before something else happened

will future

He hadn't been working.

Had he been working?

I hadn't been going.

Had I been going?

He had been going.

He hadn't been going.

Had he been going?

I'll work.

I won't work.

Will I work?

He'll work.

He won't work.

Will he work?

I'll go.

I won't go.

Will I go?

He'll go.

He won't go.

Will he go?

I'm going to work.

I'm not going to work.

Am I going to work?

He's not He's going going to to work. work.

Is he going to work?

I'm not going to go.

Am I going to go?

He's not He's going going to to go. go.

Is he going to go?

He had been had + been working. + infinitive + ing I had been

predictions about the future (you think that sth. will happen) you decide to do sth. spontaneousl will + y at the time infinitive of speaking, you haven't made a decision before

Had I been working?

going.

main clause in type I of the if clauses

going to future

when you have already decided to be do sth. in (am/are/is the future ) + going to + what you infinitive think what will happen

I'm going to go.

Future Progressiv e or Future Continuou s

Simple Future Perfect or Future Perfect Simple

Future Perfect Progressiv e or Future Perfect Continuou s

An action will be in progress at a certain time in the future. This action has begun will + be + before the infinitive + certain time. ing Something happens because it normally happens.

I won't be working.

Will I be working?

He'll be working.

He won't be working.

Will he be working?

I'll be going.

I won't Will I be be going. going?

He'll be going.

He won't Will he be be going. going?

I won't have worked.

Will I have worked?

He won't have worked.

Will he have worked?

I won't have gone.

Will I have gone?

He won't have gone.

Will he have gone?

I'll have been working.

I won't have been working.

Will I have been working?

He'll have been working.

He won't have been working.

Will he have been working?

I'll have been going.

I won't have been going.

Will I have been working?

He'll have been going.

He won't have been going.

Will he have been working?

I would work.

I wouldn't work.

Would I work?

He would work.

He wouldn't work.

Would he work?

I would go.

I wouldn't go.

Would I go?

He would go.

He wouldn't go.

Would he go?

I'll have will + have worked. + past participle* sth. will He'll have already have *(infinitive worked. happened + -ed) or before a (3rd I'll have certain time column of gone. in the future table of irregular He'll have verbs) gone.

sth. will already have happened before a certain time will + have in the future + been + infinitive + ing emphasis: length of time of an action

sth. that might happen Conditiona l Simple

I'll be working.

main clause in type II of the Conditional sentences

would + infinitive

Conditiona l Progressiv e or Conditiona l Continuou s

Conditiona l Perfect

Conditiona l Perfect Progressiv e or Conditiona l Perfect Continuou s

I I would be wouldn't working. be working. sth. that might happen emphasis: length of time of an action

sth. that might have happened in the past (It's too late now.)

He would would + be be + infinitive working. + ing

emphasis: length of time of an action

Would he be working?

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

would + have + past participle*

He would be going.

He Would he be wouldn't going? be going.

I would have worked.

I wouldn't have worked.

Would I have worked?

He would have worked.

He wouldn't have worked.

Would he have worked?

I wouldn't have gone.

Would I have gone?

He wouldn't have gone.

Would I have gone?

*(infinitive + -ed) or I would (3rd have main clause column of gone. in type III of table of the if clauses irregular verbs) He would have gone.

sth. that might have happened in the past (It's too late now.)

He wouldn't be working.

Would I be working?

I I would wouldn't have been have working. been working.

Would I have been working?

He He would wouldn't have been have going. been going.

Would he have been working?

I wouldn't have been going.

Would I have been going?

He He would wouldn't have been have going. been going.

Would he have been going?

would + have + been + infinitive + I would ing 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 tenses as there are no definite ones. Always remember what action is described