Tense Signal words Use Form affirmative negative interrogative every day sometimes always often usually seldom something happens repeatedly how often something happens one follows another things in general with verbs like (to love, to hate, to think, etc.) future meaning: timetables, programmes infinitive he/she/it: infinitive + s I He works. I go. He goes. I don't He doesn't I don't go. He doesn't go. Do I work? Does he work? Do I go? Does he go? first... then 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) be (am/are/is) + I'm He's I'm He's I'm not He isn't I'm not He isn't Am I Is he Am I Is he Past last...... ago in 1990 yesterday 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 I He I went. He went. I didn't He didn't I didn't go. He didn't go. Did I work? Did he work? Did I go? Did he go?
Past while an happened in the middle of another someone was doing sth. at a certain time (in the past) - you don't know whether it was finished or not was/were + I was He was I was I wasn't He wasn't I wasn't Was I Was he Was I He was He wasn't Was he just yet ever already so far, up to now, you say that sth. has happened or is finished in the past and it has a connection to the present started in the past and continues up to the present have/has + past I have He has I have He has I haven't He hasn t I haven't He hasn t Have I Has he Have I gone? Has he gone? recently all day the whole day how long began in the past and has just stopped how long the has been happening have/has + been + I have been He has been I have been He has been I haven't been He hasn't been I haven't been He hasn't been Have I been Has he been Have I been Has he been
Past already just mostly when two s in a story are related to each other: the which had already happened is put into Past, the other into Past the past of the had + past I had He had I had He had I hadn't He hadn't I hadn't He hadn't Had I Had he Had I gone? Had he gone? I had been I hadn't been Had I been Past how long how long something had been happening bee something else happened had + been + He had been I had been He hadn't been I hadn't been Had he been Had I been He had been He hadn't been Had he been will - future predictions about the future (you think that sth will happen) you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of speaking main clause in type I of the sentences will + infinitive I'll He'll I'll go. He'll go. I won't He won't 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 He's going to I'm going to go. I'm not going to He's not going to I'm not going to go. Am I going to work? Is he going to work? Am I going to go? He's going to go. He's not going to go. Is he going to go?
Future An will be in progress at a certain time in the future. This has begun bee the certain time. Something happens because it normally happens. will + be + infinitive + ing I'll be He'll be I'll be I won't be He won't be I won't be Will I be Will he be Will I be He'll be He won't be Will he be Future sth. will already have happened bee a certain time in the future will + have + past I'll have He'll have I'll have He'll have I won't have He won't have I won't have He won't have Will I have Will he have Will I have gone? Will he have gone? I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been Future sth. will already have happened bee a certain time in the future will + have + been + He'll have been I'll have been He won't have been I won't have been Will he have been Will I have been He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been I would I wouldn't Would I work? sth. that might happen main clause in type II of the sentences would + infinitive He would I would go. He wouldn't I wouldn't go. Would he work? Would I work? He would go. He wouldn't go. Would he work?
I would be I wouldn't be Would I be sth. that might happen would + be + He would be I would be He wouldn't be I wouldn't be Would he be Would I be He would be He wouldn't be Would he be I would have I wouldn't have Would I have sth. that might have happened in the past main clause in type III of the sentences would + have + past I would have I wouldn't have Would he have Would I have gone? Would he have gone? I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been sth. that might have happened in the past would + have + been + been I would have been been I wouldn't have been Would he have been Would I have been been been Would he have been We sometimes use Continuous instead of. Some signal words can be found in more tenses. We did not list signal words in the future. Always remember what is described. Used colours: blue infinitive grey irregular verbs in the Past red negation dark green auxiliary orange ending purple past participle light green signal word