English Tenses

Contents

Present

Present Simple
- permanent situations
He lives in Moscow.
-repeated habitual actions in the present
She goes to school every day.
- general truths and laws of nature
The Moon goes around the Earth.

- Timetables or programmes
The bus arrives at 5.
The Lesson starts at 9.

Present Continuous
- temporary situations
He’s looking for a new job these days.
- actions happening at the moment of speaking, now
He’s doing his HW now.
- with always to express annoyance or criticism
She’s always losing her keys.

- For fixed arrangements in the near future
I’m Flying to London tomorrow.

Present Perfect
- actions happened at an unstated time in the past
He has bought a new car.
- actions that have finished recently and have the result in the present
He has opened the window (the result – the window is opened now.)

- Actions that started in the past and continue up to the present, they are not finished
(with stative verbs)
He has been a teacher for 10 years. (he is still a teacher)
BUT!!!!
He was a teacher for 10 years (he’s not a teacher now!)

- to talk about experiences
He has tried skydiving.
- For an action that happened in the past and can be repeated.
I’ve met Billie Eilish once.
(I can meet her again, she’s alive.)

Present Perfect Continuous
- actions that started in the past and continue up to the present
They have been cooking since 2 p.m.
(They are still cooking).

- past actions that have recently finished but have a visible result in the present
Bob is very tires. He has been working all night.

Past Simple
- actions that happened at a stated time in the past
I went to London 2 years ago.
- to express a past state or a habit
When I was 6, I played football.
- past actions that happened one after another
She put on her coat, took her bag and left the house.

- Action that happened in the past and can’t be repeated.
I Met Princess Diana once. (I can’t meet her again, she’s not alive ☹)

Past Continuous
- action that was in the middle of happening at the stated time in the past
He was reading a book at 5 p.m. yesterday.

- for two or more actions that were happening at the same time in the past (simultaneously)
At 5 p.m. yesterday he was reading a book while his father was watching TV.

- A past action that was in progress when another action interrupted it
He was reading a book when the phone rang.
- to describe the background to the events of the story
We were walking in the woods. It was raining heavily….

Past Perfect
- a past action happened before another action in the past or before a stated past time.
She had already left when I got home.
She had left before 5 p.m. yesterday.

- An action that finished in the past and whose result was visible in the past.
He was happy. He had won the race.

- as the equivalent of Present Perfect.
She isn’t in her office. She has already left.
She wasn’t in her office. She had already left.

Future Simple (will)
- to talk about things we are not sure or haven’t decided yet
I’ll probably fly to Paris next month.

- to express hopes, fears, threats, on-the-spot decisions, offers, promises, warnings, predictions, comments (I expect, hope, believe, know, think, I’m afraid, I’m sure, probably)
I’m hungry. I’ll make a sandwich.

- To make a prediction based on what we think or imagine
I think he will pas the exam.
- to talk about actions that will definitely happen in the future, that we can’t control
He’ll turn 20 next year.

Be going to
- to talk about things we are sure about or we have already decided to do in the near future
I’m going to buy a new bike (I’ve already decided)
- express intentions or plans
She’s going to buy a new dress.

- When we can see (the evidence) that sth may happen
It’s going to rain.
(We see the clouds in the sky).

Past

Future

Present Simple
She plants roses in spring.
+
-
?
She does not plant roses in spring.
Does she plant roses in spring?
Yes, she does.
No, she does not.

Present Progressive
She is planting roses now.
+
-
?
She is not planting roses now.
Is she planting roses now?
Yes, she is.
No, she is not.

Present Perfect
She has just planted roses .
+
-
?
She has not planted roses.
Has she planted roses?
Yes, she has.
No, she has not.

Present Perfect Progressive
She has been planting roses since 2 o’clock .
+
-
?
She has not been planting roses since 2 o’clock.
Has she been planting roses
since 2 o’clock?
Yes, she has.
No, she has not.

Past Simple
She planted roses yesterday.
+
-
?
She did not plant roses yesterday.
Did she plant roses yesterday?
Yes, she did.
No, she did not.

Past Progressive
She was planting roses when he came .
+
-
?
She was not planting roses when he came.
Was she planting roses when he came?
Yes, she was.
No, she was not.

Past Perfect
She had just planted roses before he came .
+
-
?
She had not planted roses before he came.
Had she planted roses before he came?
Yes, she had.
No, she had not.

Past Perfect Progressive
She had been planting roses for 2 hours when he came .
+
-
?
She had not been planting roses for 2 hours when he came.
Had she been planting roses
for 2 hours when he came?
Yes, she had.
No, she had not.

Future Simple
She will plant roses tomorrow.
+
-
?
She will not plant roses tomorrow.
Will she plant roses tomorrow?
Yes, she will.
No, she will not.

Future Progressive
She will be planting roses when he comes.
+
-
?
She will not be planting roses when he comes.
Will she be planting roses when he comes?
Yes, she will.
No, she will not.

Future Perfect
She will have planted roses before he comes .
+
-
?
She will have not planted roses before he comes.
Will she have planted roses before he comes?
Yes, she will.
No, she will not.

Future Perfect Progressive
She will have been planting roses for 2 hours before he comes .
+
-
?
She will have not been planting roses for 2 hours before he comes.
Will she have been planting roses
for 2 hours before he comes?
Yes, she will.
No, she will not.

Present Simple

Present Progressive

They are not normally used in Present Progressive and in Present Perfect Progressive

Present Perfect

Present Perfect Progressive

Past Simple

Past Progressive

Past Perfect

Past Perfect Progressive

Future Simple

Future Progressive

Future Perfect