TENSES
FORMS USE TIME
(Affirmative - A/Negative - N PHRASES
Question - Q)
1-to talk about general truth and
always, every
A: I work.
permanent actions(facts):
day/month/year
He/she/it works. The Earth rotates round its axis.
never, often,
It rains a lot in autumn.
You/we/they work.
I speak English and French.
normally,
N: I do not (don t) work.
seldom,
2-to talk about repeated,
He/she/it does not (doesn t) work_.
sometimes,
customary actions:
You/we/they do not (don t) work.
He gets up at 8 o clock every morning.
usually, twice a
They never listen to their teacher.
week/day& ,
Q: Do I work?
Does he/she/it work_?
all the time
3-to talk about a planned future
Do you/we/they work?
action (a timetable or schedule )
The train leaves at 3 tomorrow.
1-to talk about actions
yesterday, 2
performed in the past
Regular verbs + ed : worked, played,
minutes/hours/
(with finished time expressions):
Irregular verbs  II column: went, ate
days/years
I met my friend yesterday.
Did you go to the seaside last ago,
summer?
A: I worked /went.
in 1970,
He/she/it worked/went.
the other day,
2-to talk about a succession of
You/we/they worked/went .
last
past actions (stories):
He opened the door, switched on the
month/year/
N: I did not (didn t) work_/go.
light and fed his cat.
He/she/it did not (didn t) work_/go.
week/ Sunday
You/we/they did not (didn t) work_/go.
3- to talk about an action taking
place in the middle of another
Q: Did I work_/go?
action:
Did he/she/it work_/go?
He fell asleep while the teacher was
Did you/we/they work_/go?
explaining new grammar rules.
1-to talk about future actions:
tomorrow,
I ll call you tomorrow.
A: I/we shall*
*/ will work.
*
*
the day after
Mary will get a present next month.
He/she/it will work.
tomorrow,
You/they will work.
one of these
2-to predict the future
(with probably, I expect...,
days,
N: I/we shall not (shan t) * work
*
*
*
I'm sure..., (I) think..., don't
will not (won t) work. next
think, I wonder..., perhaps)
week/month/
I think it will rain tomorrow.
He/she/it will not (won t) work.
year etc.,
Perhaps she'll be late.
You/they will not (won t) work.
soon,
I don't think the exam will be very
difficult. in the near
Q: Shall/will I/we work?
future,
Will he/she/it work?
3- to express intention at the
some day,
Will you/they work?
moment of decision:
in two
Do you like these shoes?
*NOTE!!!
*
*
*
days/five
- Yes, I'll buy them.
Shall is used mostly in the questions minutes/a
4-in the 1st type of
shall I& ?/shall we& ?
month etc.
conditional sentences
In spoken English we normally use I ll
If the weather is fine, we ll go to
and we ll.
the country.
PRESENT
PAST
(
INDEFINITE
SIMPLE)
FUTURE
TENSES
FORMS USE TIME
(Affirmative - A/Negative - N PHRASES
Question - Q)
1-to talk about actions that are
happening now, at the moment of
now,
to be (am/is/are) + verb + -ing
speaking:
at the
Look! The boys are playing football. Hurry
up! The train is coming.
moment,
A: I am (I m) working.
He/she/is is (he s) working. at present;
2- to talk about actions that are
You/we/they are (we re) working.
Look!,
happening around now, but not
exactly at the moment of speaking:
Listen!
N: I am not (I m not) working.
We are studying very hard these days.
these days,
He/she/it is not (isn t) working.
We have to prepare for our exams.
You/we/they/ are not (aren t) working.
this
3-to speak about what you have
morning,
Q: Am I working? already arranged to do:
today
-What are you doing on Saturday?
Is he/she/we working?
-I am meeting my friend at the station.
Are you/we/they working?
She is arriving at 8 pm.
1-to talk about a temporary action
taking place at a given moment in the
to be(was/were) + verb + -ing
at 6 o clock
past:
yesterday,
What were you doing at 6 o clock
yesterday?
from 3 to 6
A: I was working.
2-two or more actions happening at
He/she/it was working.
On Monday,
the same time in the past:
You/we/they were working.
She was cooking dinner and her kids
when Mum
were watching TV.
came, while
N: I was not (wasn t) working.
3- action interrupted by another
He/she/it was not (wasn t) working.
shorter action in the past:
You/we/they were not (weren t) working. I was working on computer when the
telephone rang.
4- background information in a story:
Q: Was I working?
The sun was shining and the birds
Was he/she/it working?
were singing&
Were you/we/they working?
1- to talk about an action at a
shall/will + be + verb +-ing at 5 o clock
particular moment in the future.
tomorrow,
The action will start before that
A: I/we shall*
*/will be working.
*
*
this time on
moment but it will not have
He/she/it will be working.
Sunday,
finished at that moment:
You/they will be working.
I will be playing tennis at 10am
when I
tomorrow.
N: I/we shall not (shan t) *be working.
*
*
*
come
This time on Sunday I'll be bathing in
will not (won t) be working.
the sea.
When you arrive, he will be waiting for
He/she/it will not (won t) be working.
you.
You/they will not (won t) be working.
Q: Shall/will I/we be working?
Will he/she/it be working?
Will you/they be working?
*NOTE!!!
*
*
*
Shall is used mostly in the questions shall
I& ?/shall we& ?
In spoken English we normally use I ll and
we ll.
PRESENT
PAST
CONTINUOUS
(progressive)
FUTURE
TENSES TIME
FORMS USE
PHRASES
(Affirmative - A/Negative - N
Question - Q)
-is always connected with the already, ever,
present and the only thing which
have/has +participle II
just, never,
matters here is the result: the time
- regular verbs +ed worked, asked
not yet, so
when the action took place is of no
-irregular verbs-III column gone, eaten
far, till now,
importance:
I have lost my keys. I can t open the
up to now , of
door.
late, lately,
A: I/we/you/they have worked/gone.
1-to talk about a completed action
He/she/it has worked/gone.
recently; with
connected with the present:
for and
I have seen this film and I can
N: I/we/you/they have not (haven t) worked/gone.
discuss it with you now.
since; with
He/she/it has not (hasn t) worked/gone.
This is the
2-questions in the Present Perfect
Q: Have I/we/you/they worked/gone?
first time &
never start with when:
Has he/she/it worked/gone?
this morning/
When did you see this film?
evening,
3-with this morning/evening, today
today, this
this week, this year (when the time
week, this
periods are not finished at the time
year
of speaking):
Have you called you mother today?
1-denotes an action completed
when I
before a certain moment in the
entered, by 5
had +participle II
past; it is not used to denote a
o clock
succession of actions (Past
- regular verbs +ed : worked, asked
yesterday,
Simple):
-irregular verbs-III column: gone, eaten
She has already finished her work
(with the
when he came.
same
But: When I wrote the letter, I
A: I/you/we/they had worked/gone.
adverbs as
posted it.(Past Simple 
He/she/it had worked/gone.
Present
succession of actions)
By the time the police arrived ,he had
Perfect but in
N: I/we/you/we/they had not (hadn t) worked/gone.
already disappeared.
He/she it had not (hadn t) worked/gone.
the past
2-with the
context); no
conjunctions(hardly/scarcely/
Q: Had I/you/we/they worked/gone?
nearly/barely + when& )
sooner& than
Had he/she/it worked/gone?
I had hardly done it when they
&
came.
No sooner had they arrived than it
started to rain.
1-denotes an action completed
by this time
before a definite moment in the
tomorrow, by
shall/will + have +participle II future:
2 o clock
She will have finished this work by
tomorrow,
2 o clock tomorrow.
A: I/we shall*/will have worked/gone.
*
*
*
The film will have already started
when you
He/she/it will have worked/gone.
by the time we come .Hurry up!
You/they will have worked/gone.
come back
N: I/we shall not (shan t) * have worked/gone.
*
*
*
will not (won t)
*NOTE!!!
*
*
*
Shall is used mostly in the
He/she/it will not (won t)
questions shall I& ?/shall we& ?
You/they will not (won t) have worked/gone.
In spoken English we normally use
I ll and we ll.
Q: Shall/will I/we have worked/gone?
Will he/she/it have worked/gone?
Will you/they have worked/gone?
PRESENT
perfect
PAST
FUTURE
TENSES TIME
FORMS USE
PHRASES
(Affirmative - A/Negative - N
Question - Q)
1-to say how long things have been
for, since;
continuing up to now:
How
have/has + been + verb + -ing
I ve been learning English for six
long& ?
years.
It s been raining all day.
A: I we/you/they have been working.
He/she/it has been working.
2-to say how we have been filling
our time (up to now)
N: I/we/you/they have not (haven t) been working.
-Your hands are dirty.
He/she/it has not (hasn t) been working.
-I ve been painting the walls.
Q: Have I/we/you/they been working?
NOTE!!! We don t use Present
Has he/she/it been working?
Perfect Cont. with be, know ,
have and other non-progressive
verbs:
How long have you had your
car? (Present Perfect)
1-denotes an action which began
since, for
before a definite moment in the
had + been + verb + -ing
past, continued up to that moment
and was still going on at the
A: I /we/you/they had been working. moment:
He/she/it had been working. We could not go out because it had
been raining for two hours.
2-denotes an action which was no
N: I/we/you/they had not (hadn t) been working.
longer going on at a definite
He/she/it had not (hadn t) been working.
moment in the past, but which had
been in progress not long before:
Q: Had I/we/you/they been working?
The baby s face was red and wet. He
Had he/she/it been working?
had been crying.
1-denotes an action which will begin
for
before a definite moment in the
shall/will + have + been+ verb + -ing
future, will continue up to the
moment and will be going on at that
moment:
A: I/we shall/will * have been working.
*
*
*
You will have been waiting for more
He/she/it will have been working.
than two hours when her plane finally
You/they will have been working.
arrives.
In the fall I will have been studying
N: I/we shall not (shan t)* have been working.
*
*
*
here for 2 years.
will not (won t)
He will be tired when he arrives. He
will have been travelling for 24
He/she/it will not (won t) have been working.
hours.
You/they will not (won t) have been working.
Q: Shall/will I/we have been working?
Will he/she/it have been working?
Will you/they have been working?
*NOTE!!!
*
*
*
Shall is used mostly in the questions
shall I& ?/shall we& ?
In spoken English we normally use I ll
and we ll.
PRESENT
PAST
c
Perfect
ontinuous
FUTURE