| Tense | Signal words | Use | Form | Examples |
| Simple Present | · every day· sometimes· always· often· usually· seldom· never· first … then | · something happens repeatedly· how often something happens· sequence of actions· things in general· after the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.)· future meaning: timetables, programmes | infinitive (he/she/it) + -s | · I work· he works· I go· he goes |
| Present Progressive | · 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) | to be (am/are/is) + infinitive + -ing | · I’m working· he’s working· I’m going· he’s going |
| Simple Past | · last …· … ago· in 1990· yesterday | action took place in the past, mostly connected with an expression of time (no connection to the present) | · regular: Infinitiv + -ed· irregular: 2nd column | · I worked· he worked· I went· he went |
| Past Progressive | · an action happened in the middle of another action· someone was doing sth. at a certain time (in the past) – you don’t know whether it was finished or not | was/were + infinitive + -ing | · I was working· he was working· I was going· he was going | |
| Simple Present Perfect | · yet· never· ever· already· so far,· up to now,· since, for, recently | · 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 | have/has + past participle (infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column) | · I‘ve worked· he‘s worked· I‘ve gone· he‘s gone |
| Present Perfect Progressive | · emphasis: length of time of an action· action began in the past and has just stopped· how long the action has been happening | have/has + been + infinitive + -ing | · I‘ve been working· he‘s been working· I‘ve been going· he‘s been going | |
| Simple Past Perfect | · mostly when two actions in a story are related to each other: the action which had already happened is put into Past Perfect, the other action into Simple Past· the past of the Present Perfect | had + past participle (infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column) | · I had worked· he had worked· I had gone· he had gone | |
| will-future | · predictions about the future (you think that sth. will happen)· you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of speaking, you haven’t made a decision before· main clause in if clause type I | will + infinitive | · I‘ll work· he‘ll work· I‘ll go· he‘ll go | |
| going to-future | · when you have already decided to do sth. in the future· what you think what will happen | to be (am/are/is) + going to + infinitive | · I‘m going to work· he‘s going to work· I‘m going to go· he‘s going to go |
Communicative English / July 17, 2021
Common Tenses
Tense Signal words Use Form Examples Simple Present · every day· sometimes· always· often· usually· seldom· never· first … then · something happens repeatedly· how often something happens· sequence of actions· things in general· after the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.)· future meaning: timetables, programmes infinitive (he/she/it) + -s · I work· he works· I go· he goes Present Progressive · now· at the moment· Look!· Listen! · something is happening at the same time of speaking or around it· future meaning: […]