Simple Present:

 
   
 
Use
 
Describing routines, regular events or facts, feelings or states
 
Structure
 
  • I/you/we/they + Infinitive
  • he/she/it + Infinitive + s
 
Signal words
 
always, never, often, seldom, rarely, sometimes, usually, normally, regularly, etc. every day, every week, every month, …
 
Positive statement
 
I walk, she walks, they take, he takes
 
Negative statement
 
I don’t walk, she doesn’t walk, they don’t take, he doesn’t take
 
Question
 
Do I walk? Does she walk? Do they take? Does he take?
 
 

Present: Present Progressive

 
   
 
Use
 
Describing things that happen at the moment of speech or things that happen exceptionally; talking about a plan that happens in the near future
 
Structure
 
am/are/is (simple present form of to be) + Infinitive + ing
 
Signal words
 
at the moment, right now, just, now, at present, currently, Look!
 
Positive statement
 
I am walking, she is walking, they are taking, he is taking
 
Negative statement
 
I am not walking, she isn't walking, they aren't taking, he isn't taking
 
Question
 
Am I walking? Is she walking? Are they taking? Is he taking?
 
 

Past: Simple Past

 
   
 
Use
 
Talking about things that happened in the past and are completed or over at the moment of speech
 
Structure
 
  • Regular verbs: Infinitive + ed
  • Irregular verbs: simple past form
 
Signal words
 
yesterday, the other day, in 2009, when, at that time two days ago, a week ago, a month ago, … last night, last week, last month, …
 
Positive statement
 
I walked, she walked, they took, he took
 
Negative statement
 
I didn't walk, she didn't walk, they didn't take, he didn't take
 
Question
 
Did I walk? Did she walk? Did they take? Did he take?
 
 

Past: Past Progressive

 
   
 
Use
 
Describing actions or things that were in progress in the past, even if something else suddenly interrupted this progress
 
Structure
 
was/were (simple past form of to be) + Infinitive + ing
 
Signal words
 
while
 
Positive statement
 
I was walking, she was walking, they were taking, he was taking
 
Negative statement
 
I wasn't walking, she wasn't walking, they weren't taking, he wasn't taking
 
Question
 
Was I walking? Was she walking? Were they taking? Was he taking?
 
 

Past: Present Perfect Simple

 
   
 
Use
 
Emphasising the result of something, talking about things that happened at an unknown time in the past, describing things that happened in the past and are not yet completed or over at the moment of speech
 
Structure
 
have/has (simple present form of to have) + past participle
 
Signal words
 
since, for, already, yet, before, ever, never, still not, so far, just, up to now, recently, until now
 
Positive statement
 
I have walked, she has walked, they have taken, he has taken
 
Negative statement
 
I haven't walked, she hasn't walked, they haven't taken, he hasn't taken
 
Question
 
Have I walked? Has she walked? Have they taken? Has he taken?
 
 

Past: Present Perfect Progressive

 
   
 
Use
 
Emphasising the duration of something, describing things that started happening in the past and are still going on at the moment of speech and/or influence the present
 
Structure
 
have/has (simple present form of to have) + been + Infinitive + ing
 
Signal words
 
for, since, how long, all day, all day long, the whole day/week/month/year
 
Positive statement
 
I have been walking, she has been walking, they have been taking, he has been taking
 
Negative statement
 
I haven't been walking, she hasn't been walking, they haven't been taking, he hasn't been taking
 
Question
 
Have I been walking? Has she been walking? Have they been taking? Has he been taking?
 
 

Past: Past Perfect Simple

 
   
 
Use
 
Emphasising that something in the past stopped or was over when something else began, describing the fact that something happened before a certain time
 
Structure
 
had (simple past form of to have) + past participle
 
Signal words
 
already, until that day, never, just
 
Positive statement
 
I had walked, she had walked, they had taken, he had taken
 
Negative statement
 
I hadn't walked, she hadn't walked, they hadn't taken, he hadn't taken
 
Question
 
Had I walked? Had she walked? Had they taken? Had he taken?
 
 

Past: Past Perfect Progressive

 
   
 
Use
 
Emphasising the progress or duration of something, describing things that happened in the past and stopped or were over at a certain time later in the past
 
Structure
 
had (simple past form of to have) + been + Infinitive + ing
 
Signal words
 
for, since, how long, all day, after, before
 
Positive statement
 
I had been walking, she had been walking, they had been taking, he had been taking
 
Negative statement
 
I hadn't been walking, she hadn't been walking, they hadn't been taking, he hadn't been taking
 
Question
 
Had I been walking? Had she been walking? Had they been taking? Had he been taking?
 
 

Future: Will-Future

 
   
 
Use
 
Describing things that will certainly happen in the future, talking about expectations, hopes or assumptions, spontaneous decisions
 
Structure
 
will + Infinitive
 
Signal words
 
tomorrow, next week/month/year, in 2021, expect, believe, hope, suppose, think, probably
 
Positive statement
 
I will walk, she will walk, they will take, he will take
 
Negative statement
 
I won't walk, she won't walk, they won't take, he won't take
 
Question
 
Will I walk? Will she walk? Will they take? Will he take?
 
 

Future: Going-to-Future

 
   
 
Use
 
Describing plans and aims in the future, implications, talking about things that will happen in the near future
 
Structure
 
am/are/is (simple present form of to be) + going to + Infinitive
 
Signal words
 
tomorrow, next week/month/year, in 2011
 
Positive statement
 
I am going to walk, she is going to walk, they are going to take, he is going to take
 
Negative statement
 
I am not going to walk, she isn't going to walk, they aren't going to take, he isn't going to take
 
Question
 
Am I going to walk? Is she going to walk? Are they going to take? Is he going to take?
 
 

Future: Future Progressive

 
   
 
Use
 
Describing things that will be in progress in the future, talking about things that usually happen in the future
 
Structure
 
will + be + Infinitive + ing
 
Signal words
 
tomorrow, next week/month/year, in 2041
 
Positive statement
 
I will be walking, she will be walking, they will be taking, he will be taking
 
Negative statement
 
I won't be walking, she won't be walking, they won't be taking, he won't be taking
 
Question
 
Will I be walking? Will she be walking? Will they be taking? Will he be taking?
 
 

Future: Future Perfect

 
   
 
Use
 
Talking about things that will be completed or over at a certain time in the future
 
Structure
 
will + have + past participle
 
Signal words
 
until, before by the end of the day, by the end of the week, by the end of the month, …
 
Positive statement
 
I will have walked, she will have walked, they will have taken, he will have taken
 
Negative statement
 
I won't have walked, she won't have walked, they won't have taken, he won't have taken
 
Question
 
Will I have walked? Will she have walked? Will they have taken? Will he have taken?
 
 
 
Take a look at the following examples:
  • Apparently, she had been waiting on that spot for two hours but the bus did not come.
  • He told me that he had been spending every minute with her the week before I arrived.
In the next exercise, you have to fill in the gaps with the correct forms of the past perfect progressive. The past perfect progressive is a tense that is not used very often. A case in which you do use it is when you use indirect speech. This is why, in the exercise below, the sentences you have to complete will all be in indirect speech. That doesn't make it any more difficult though – it only makes the context more logical. For example:
Maria told us that he __________ in the kitchen but she thought he had already been gone.
] Maria told us that he had been waiting in the kitchen but she thought he had already been gone.
Go on and try!
 
en
  • Pedro told me a story the other day. He said he to go to a grocery store all day, so finally he went. (to plan)
     
  • He said that after he in the direction of the store for 5 minutes already, he realized he had forgotten his keys. (to walk)
     
  • He told me that he that this would happen ever since he moved into his own apartment. (to worry)
     
  • Luckily, his neighbour, to whom he about his worries for hours, had offered to keep a second key for special occasions like this. (to talk)
     
  • I replied that I him to do a stupid thing like that. (to expect)
     
  • As a child he had always forgotten a lot of important things, but we used to him being more careful with these things. (to get)
     
 
 
In the second exercise, you will find all forms of past tenses. You have to mark the different tenses in different colours. Of course, you can only do that if you have studied all the past tenses already.
Each colour stands for a different tense:
  • simple past: purple
  • past progressive: orange
  • present perfect: yellow
  • present perfect progressive: grey
  • past perfect: green
  • past perfect progressive: blue
 
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